Wednesday 5 February 2014

Don't believe everything you read on the internet.

Not believing everything you hear and seeing for you're self is an important lesson I've learnt over the years climbing and today was no exception. One persons storm is another's shower, so today we headed off to krokan.


 On the walk in we could see the snow was quite deep down at krokan and we could also see that there was a lot of ice to be had as well, the path down to the main area was well trodden and nice and consolidated. 
 

Today me and CLIFF started on bullen, CLIFF had the first lead and I followed him up whilst Ed and jon started on bullen right hand side. After CLIFF and myself had abseiled down the route CLIFF had lead we tottered over to jomfrua.


It was my turn to lead and I picked the steepest line on jomfrua and once I got established on the face it started to feel quite steep and when I tried putting a screw in which was blunt and didn't want to go in I started to fell pretty pumped in the forearms. Me and CLIFF decided to do the route in two pitches, so once I had set up a belay CLIFF came up and finished the route. 

Next on CLIFFS list was kjøkkentrappa, which CLIFF didn't climb last year. However to get to the route we had to cross a sketchy section of the river which had melted and re frozen several times and looked pretty dodgey, CLIFF kindly let me test the ice and cross first (nice of him).

CLIFF sent the route with ease and once I got on it it was a really good route with difficulties In the changing angles. It was a really nice route that made its way up some short steep sections to a cave like feature where CLIFF employed a nice back and foot technique. The abseil down was the hardest part as anyone knows who has ever abseiled over overhanging ice onto smooth rock, it's a mare. 
When me and CLIFF got down we headed over to see what Ed and jon were upto, once regrouped we dipped ove to the fission bowl and I jumped on a bolted route at the far left side of the bowl, it was a blank slab leading to a snowy corner.
The first 5 moves were stein pulls and everything else was facing downwards, there was hardly anything for you're feet throughout the whole route. The first 3 bolts were comfortably close together then there was a massive gap to the next which I clipped. There where a few axe placements that i just placed and pulled on not knowing if they would hold as the snow was to deep to see what they were on, it was a really fun and thin route. 
Tonight john made a chicken curry which hit the spot, we are still undersides on what tomorrow's plans are so stay tuned. 

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