Not one to be left out…

With a New Year’s resolution of quitting the smokes and beer Glen was keen to try out and see just how awful or not it would be getting up for an early climb.  Word had it that the usual crags were likely to be busy, due to an organised trip by the Perth climbers so today we decided on Cosy Corner.  This is the most southerly crag along the South West’s Cape Leeuwin/Naturalist coastline, and as such takes a little bit longer to get too.  Glen was up and raring to go at 5 when I picked him up, and by 6:30 we were at the crag and ready to rap in:

There were two cars in the carpark ahead of us, who had camped overnight.  So we let them be and walked off along the cliff to get set up from the platform that leads to the gentle introduction climbs to this area.  While there is a scramble down, and it is possible to boulder along the black basalt rocks at the base of the cliff we opted to rap in.  The tide was low enough to make the scramble less risky, but it just seemed to make sense to rap in and save time:

Being a new location for Glen I set things off on Crystal Corner, which set the scene for how things would go today.  The sharp rock bit into our fingertips, which were still feeling cold.  Bomber gear was on hand when most needed, as you climb on rounded cracks and flakes which will happily slice your skin if you didn’t take your time.  That may not make the place sound inviting but the routes are fun and you can’t beat the location.  As any good real estate agent will say, location is everything:

Not only had Glen not been here before, it was also his first time of leading in some time.  Feeling bit rusty he was keen to ease back into the feeling that only being on the sharp end can give you.  So I sent him up what would normally be the warm up climb called Bland, which it is not.  Plenty of gear, good holds and fine moves which he enjoyed thoroughly.  He will hopefully have some footage on his GoPro, but it was playing up a bit so we shall have to wait and see:

This place looks like it should have stack so routes, but much of it is ledgey and blocky.  Hidden gems are to be found and I have my eye on two walls that I reckon will yield half a dozen or more lines.  These will be left for a future jaunt down this way.  It has always felt like it is a long way to come for a climb but really it wasn’t that far and maybe my trips here can become a little more frequent.  I’ve only been here four times in 13 years, and that includes today’s visit:

For now Glen and I were aiming to enjoy a chilled climb and the fabulous belay positions with the water lapping just below our feet.  This included repeating the very fine Crystal Cut, for which the first third feels like you are climbing up a wall of quartz.  Spreadeagled positions and a big reach onto the headwall all the while trying not to allow the crystals to cut you.  It feels a little unnerving knowing how brittle quartz can be, making pulling on the holds that bit more exciting:

All the while Glen had been spying a wall that has no routes on it yet.  It looked long with a few good sections but also a bit easy angled.  So we talked about chucking a rope down it to see if it was worthy, but first we decided to finish this section of the cliff off by climbing the last route.  Bad Directions is a Steve and Leanne route.  Steve somehow managed to mistake a rib for a corner (how we will never know) and so became this fun line.  It does however have a worrying large flake half way up, which Glen said was “flexing”:

I just laughed that off and told him to follow the line round the flake.  He eventually went for it and I think he surprised himself when he climbed the left trending crack with tiny feet holds on the slab.  He was finally trusting his feet and looking good.  The flake was still worrying him so he went further left and placed a high piece of gear in the climb I start us off on.  That was someway off to the left, before he gingerly stepped back right to get onto his line.  Once above the flake it requires gaining a ledge that is somewhat awkward:

He was looking and feeling confident.  So much so in fact that he passed the obvious easy and bomber gear before trying to mount the ledge.  Once he started he couldn’t reverse the move and almost slipped, he tried again and this time called out that he was off.  He fell initially down but then swung wildly left, tumbling over himself as the piece he had placed off to the far left took tension.  It looked pretty spectacular and immediately afterwards he was talking to me, which was good but he did manage to injure his ankle:

Being a well-trained State Emergency Service volunteer trained in vertical rescue he managed to undertake a self-rescue, as I looked on helplessly from below.  Luckily the rap rope was within reach and he used a couple of prussics to get to the top, tie off and then belay me up.  I was greeted by one bloodied knee, one swelling ankle and a big smiling face.  He managed to get to a good position where we took his shoes off and I placed a compression bandage, a little tighter than normal, round the ankle that was forming an egg:

The good news was that his knee that had been plaguing him for some 18 months or more was absolutely fine.  We decided that while the adrenaline was still pumping through his body, it was probably best he tried to hobble back to the car.  Leaving me to throw everything into the two bags and pack horse them out.  As I looked over my shoulder I saw him inching his way out like an old man:

As I strode across the rocks I wasn’t catching up with Glen.  As I got closer I could see the carpark was packed.  Despite all these cars no other climbers were in sight, it really is a place that does not get the attention it deserves.  Either that or we have a different view on and/or reason for climbing to others. Despite the little mishap Glen has already committed to coming back to Cosy Corner, it’s charm had certainly caught his attention.  We briefly discussed the last route and agreed it may be a tad of a sand bag.  That would however not be due to Steve, but probably me if my memory serves right:

Like all the people who flock here for the beach, Glen was also following a growing crowd.  His crowd however was that of local climbers who seem to want to stuff up their ankles, now making it number three is a short period of time.