Shady Goings On

Here’ you can find a map with Sydneys prime climbing and bouldering.
Sun, Surf and Sandstone - A Rockclimber’s Guide to Sydney - Crag Map

We got out rock climbing to Markfield Quarry again last week. It was a bit cooler this time and therefore a much quieter so we got plenty done.

This time we ventured over to the Grey Slab area (below).

Climbed:
BlackSlab - 11m VD
Grey Slab - 11 m S
Gorse Slab - 11 m VD
Just Right - 11 m VD
Click here for more info on the routes.

Tomorrow we’re climbing again, but this time just round the corner to the left of Grey Slab:

and maybe in the Dead Bay Area:

At last we managed to get out climbing for the night. The weather has been nice and dry all day and the sun was just right for some climbing at Markfield Quarry. It’s a litte known spot in Leicestershire that has some good really routes. We only managed two of them tonight, both on Bettys Slab:

• Go Home - 12m Diff
• Clearway - 10m Severe

We top-roped both the routes from two big boulders at the top.
I managed to get a couple of decent photos:

With any luck we’ll get out more often now, especially now I’m in Loughborough and summer is here.

B: Belaying

Generally (when using a rope for protection) rock climbers will climb in pairs: the lead and the belayer. They are linked by a rope tied onto the lead climbers harness and passed through a special deviceon the belayers harness. As the lead climber progresses on the route he/she places anchors into the rockface and clips the rope in, the belayer then lets out only as much rope as is necessary.
By doings so, the amount of slack rope is kept to a minimum and the drop is minimised in the event of a fall. The belayers job is to lock the rope off so that no more passes through the device and the lead climber remains safe. Should the belayer fail to hold the lead climber then the fall could be significant and either party may be injured.

The belayer uses specialist equipment to hold the rope, there are many types but they all have some things in common: depending on their use the friction on the rope will either be minimal (e.g. during climbing) or substantial (e.g. when not climbing and definitley during a fall). Switching between the two uses is very easy and is usually as simple as pulling the ‘dead’ end (i.e. the opposite end to the climber) of the rope in a downward direction to increase the friction. The equipment attaches to the belayers harness using a carabiner with the rope passing through both it and the carabiner.

When the climber reaches the top (or during a multi-pitch route, any suitable position) the roles switch. The lead climber (now called the belayer) anchors themselves safely and then belays the belayer (now called the second) up the route from above. Normally the route would be complete when the second reaches the belayer, but for longer climbs (multi-pitch) the second (now called the leader) will continue up and the whole process repeats itself.

Check out the rest of the Rock Climbing A to Z Series

External Links:
Belaying (Wikipedia)
How to Belay when Rock Climbing (eHow)
Belay Devices (Rock+Run.com)

N: Nuts

Yes nuts indeed! Not the sort you eat, although the energy would be great on a long route.
Nuts (picture opposite) are one type of protection for rock climbers, they are used to limit the consequences of a fall.The nuts are placed in cracks the rock face and the rope is attached.
There are many different types of nut available, each is suited to a different size or shape crack but they all have one thing in common: their shape means that as force is applied the nut will wedge itself further into the rock face. This relies on the correct use and placement of course.
Nuts are best used in medium to narrow cracks that taper in the direction of the force. For parallel cracks hexes or SLCDs (spring-loaded camming devices) could be used.
If you fall on a nut and it becomes well jammed, you might need a ‘nutter’ to help it out.

Check out the Rock Climbing A to Z Series

See also (offsite):
SLCDs
Choosing passive protection
Buying your first trad protection?

Welcome to a new feature of the site: The Rock Climbing A to Z.

Every now and then I’ll publish a new letter, and accompanying word, along with a description or explanation of that word or subject.

View the list of articles below for the Rock Climbing A to Z series, and to read what others have said about this new feature.