Moors Classics and a return to form?

After the end of may Peak trip, June was all about Exams and getting strong for climbing. So much so that i returned to Ravenswick quarry for a couple of hours of non stop bouldering just to burn my forearms into submission then attempt some long steady 5b traverses to build up the stamina, i think it worked.

During my revising i've been finding various places around the house to do pull ups and chin ups and what have you. I've never really focussed on training in the past, but i feel a combination of the garage wall, fingerboard and pull/press ups should do some good.

The second weekend of June began with plans of Almscliffe or Filey. But dodgey weather forecasts made a last minute decision of Ingleby Incline the preffered option. We slogged up to the crag in about 30 minutes and decided to jump on the *** line of the crag, Gym Junkies. At E3 6b, it struck me as being the kind of route i belayed Franco on and decided i wasn't going to do. However, Franco's ascent made it look do able and the starting moves are well protected.

My attempt proved fruitful, and although it could have been far better protected with some fiddly wires it still felt an easy E3, certainly not 6b. It's worth jumping on if you reckon you climb E3!

Our first objective ticked we walked to Time Captain E4. The large roof of the route really appeals but the top slab is dirty. Neither of us wanted to ab and clean the line but i felt it would be too much to ask, for me at least anyway. We tried the E4 Love and Confusion, but with low friction the sloping pitch hold was hard work. Franco gained the pocket but decided the slopey topout was worth leaving for a Colder day.

I then climbed Top Gun, a classic HVS which i should have done a long time ago but never got around to. It's a great line and a good climb, worth going to and doing. We finished with a boulder around on No Prisoners, a 6b sloping crack. Some nice moves but i felt my dynamic methods were not in the spirit of the line.

The next day, i decided that i was going to demand that we visited High Crag in Tripsdale and got up Warrior, a *** moors E2 that hardly anyone has climbed.

We arrived at the crag at about 3 in the afternoon, after a long walk in, a stop off at some boulders and a quick look at Tarn Hole. We had chose to walk in from the moor top, to avoid the midgeys and try and get a cooling breeze. It was scorching.

As soon as we geared up for this epic looking crackline, the midgeys started. We fought on, whereas last time we ran like pansys, and our 'commitment' paid off.

I elected to go first. I usually fail on lines when i go first but i decided it would be good to do. We placed a loweroff at the top as the top was whringing wet and the moss was of poor friction... :-)

I started to climb up and rammed a cam in (which i nearly lost), then a beaut of a Hex, something i haven't used for at least a year!

I then ran out of ideas of how to keep jamming up this confining, overhanging, damp, green, crackline. I rested on the Hex to have a look around and realised i had to span left onto the wall.

Climbing this epic route, this time using the left wall and realised it was straighforward, relitavely easy considering what it looks like and that the moves were actually worth stars, though perhaps ** rather than ***.

I attempted to top out but the wet moss was impossible. I even considered a dyno to a tree root, but decided this was probably not wise. I lowered off, happy with the midgys massing and my hands and clothes filthy.

Franco climbed the line cleanly, using the hold out left that he had spotted and finished as i did. It was the only way unfortunately.

We ran away from High Crag before the man-eating midgeys stipped us of our flesh.

The E4, 'A Reach Too Far' at Tarn Hole, looked like a highball couple of stars Peak E4. It was however a Moors E4 with ***. We had to try it.

Unfortunately, after our excertions on Warrior and the walk in and the day before at Ingleby, I at least felt knackered. We gave it a bash but neither fully committed, so much so we both retain our onsights. However, i feel the clue is in the name, so i might need to stretch abit if im going to go anywhere near it again!

We walked down, in the beating sun at about 8 in the evening. Absolutely knackered but with a Weekend of Classic ticks, long, heavily overgrown walk ins and sandbag testing - i was ready to relax and recouperate and begin my revision for Chemistry.