A wet day, even though the forecast was predicted to be clear and calm. I met Sam at 10:00am and assessed the situation - there was going to be no climbing until the rock dried out. Which being Avon, meant 20 minutes wait if the rain held off... it didn't.
So I spent the morning teaching Sam how to place passive and active protection and what to look for in good placements. I showed him how to test gear before clipping into it and the importance of extending gear where necessary to avoid lifting. We then looked at multi point anchors and how to equalise using a sling and then using the rope and yourself as the masterpoint, with the associate nuances of adjusting the belay to bring up a second.
We then looked at the wonderful world of prussiks as a means of backing up an extended abseil and I taught Sam 3 prussiks:
- Standard
- French
- Kleimheist
And then allowed him to experiment with them to gain vital information about their limitations, before finally deciding which prussiks were better suited for a personal abseil.
By this point, the rock was just about dry enough to lead. So I gave Sam a nut key, and tied myself in and quickly lead up Idleburger Buttress. Due to an oil spill and ground contamination, I actually started on Syph (severe) and then traversed across to the first ledge of Idleburger Buttress. I placed a lot of protection for Sam, as I knew this extra distance on the traverse could lead to a ground fall if Sam slipped and the gear was too far apart.
The first part of the climb was a tad precarious as it was still wet in places. But drier towards the top and by the time Sam seconded the route, the rock was dry.
A good outing and first experience for Sam. We should be trad climbing every Monday from here on out.
