On Sunday 5th Feb we made our first club trip of the year to Chudleigh rocks. The sun was out and it was attended by 16 members! For some it was their first time climbing on limestone and the conditions were excellent, just warm enough but crisp and dry. Kieran rigged some bottom ropes on Eeny (Diff) and Miney (VDiff) as well as Jim’s Folly (Severe 4a), while some other members went further out along the crag to lead and second some traditional routes.
Others went to sample the (delights of?) bouldering at Chudleigh. The verdict seemed to be ‘hard!’.
After sufficient snackage, club secretary Josh led Meeney (VDiff) and then top rope belayed a few members on this route. More members went off as an independent group to lead and second Barn Owl Crack and Kieran set off to rig a big free hanging abseil which was braved by 7 members.
Special mentions to:
Mathura for “What do you mean my feet won’t be on anything” when she realised how far she’d be hanging into space (paraphrasing, I don’t want to tell tales but I believe there were more swear words than what I’ve related here…)
Harrison for their bravery (both on top of the abseil and for communicating what they needed) and the most delicious crag snacks I’ve ever eaten
Flo for some 5 star tree goblin antics
Josh for putting up with Flo’s antics with reasonable dignity and grace
Char for maximum crag dad vibes
Noa for their quiet but determined psych
Jack for not breaking up with me for forcing him out of bed at 7 (the horror 😉 ) so I could go and rig before the rest of the club arrived.
Genuinely everyone for making this a fantastic first club trip of 2023, your support for and enthusiasm towards everyone in the group make this club what it is. I’m looking forward to many more trips with you all this year.
We are planning on doing a day trip a month until the autumn and longer trips to come! Keep an eye on the calendar for updates.
Kieran – Trips and Training Officer
