“C’mon arms, do your stuff”

It’s the last Friday that I will be taking off during my work a four day week January, and Rongy and Jaime joined me for a climb and hopefully snorkel down at Cosy Corner.  As we were driving down, at what Jaime suggested was something akin to “stupid o’clock”, I was trying to tally up how many times I had climbed here.  This would be my ninth trip, and it is probably fair to say it is the place I have climbed least in the South West.  No real reason other than it is a bit further to drive and there aren’t stacks of routes, but every time I come here I love it:

My initial intention for today had been to head to Moses Rocks, but Rongy piped up that he was in Karridale so couldn’t join us but might be able to sneak an early morning climb at Cosy Corner.   We picked Rongy up as we passed through Karridale and pulled up at our destination at 5:30.  It was evident from climbing in the Zawn at Moses Rocks and then Smiths Beach that Jaime really enjoyed being close the ocean, so I naively thought this place would be right up her alley.  However, without really thinking about it we rapped down to climb the Escape Hatch:

The rap down was fine, but maybe a bit more warning that we would be belaying off a narrow ledge with nothing but a 15m drop straight into the ocean below would have been nice.  But as with most of the situations we have thrown at her, she took it in her stride.  It was evident as we rapped down that despite all the hot 30 plus degree days we have been having the rock was damp.  I thought at the time it may have been the rain that came through a few days back, but the observation history indicates this area only got a few millimetres:

What with the wet rock Rongy led back out up the Escape Hatch at a very cautious pace, and looked to be shaking out a bit more than I would expect on a grade 16 route.  Without mentioning it I was getting a bit nervous as to how Jaime would go.  The whole situation of the exposed belay ledge, wet rock and having watched Rongy not struggle but having to be so careful must have been a bit an unsettling.  While the crux move proved a challenge she did really well and worked her way higher and higher, even managing the steep moves up the final wall:

Due to the wet rock we pondered what would be the best next route, some of the lines here are fairly steep and the conditions added a bit of spice.  The easier lines here were probably a bit too easy so we stuck with our plan to hit the routes in the middle of the gade range.  The rap rap line was moved across and we went back down, with my sights set on Loose Lip.  This also meant that the next belay ledge was palatial in comparison and we could spread ourselves out, enjoying the view in a far more relaxed and comformtable position:

The water below was looking reasonably clear but the swell and choppiness, created by a stiff onshore wind, was making us have doubts about getting in.  While sections of the route certainly still had a nice sheen to it, at least the rock didn’t seem as bad this time.  I got the impression that I was lacing the route up, but looking back at the images the gear seems evenly spaced.  Thin flakes and edges were the style for the first half to two thirds of this and the last climb, before then launching up on bigger holds up the final headwall:

Despite the tiring arms that we got to hear about several times, being blamed in part to the Wednesday evening boulder sessions that had only just started back up this week, Jaime was looking comfortable and making good progress.  This was hampered at the crux, by the long reach and wet rock but all was forgiven as the holds got bigger as she topped out.  With a rope above Rongy, like myself on the first route, glided up without any great difficulties.  We were however unsure whether to go back down and whether someone’s arms would be up for it:

Seeing the rap rope was set up and rock had felt a little better we decided to go back down.  Jaime hinting that she could just watch and take images, and she did both as Rongy worked his way back up.  For a broken and fractured looking crag every line here really is a lot of fun and has a unique character.  This one is no different, but with someone’s arms in mind I was thinking that it is also is a little easier and not quite as steep.  That was until Rongy decided to take a slightly different approach and layback up a huge flake:

Indecision, was probably a good name for this route when I established it, as it does allow for a few varied approaches before headwall.  Rongy’s choice was less technical than stepping left and climbing up the face but it was equally good fun.  While it looked powerful, by using good layback techniques it yielded reasonably easy.  And despite Jaime’s concerns she romped through it, yes we did manage to convince her to have a go.  This flake was also a great prelude to the final layback crack up the headwall, which we were advised had sapped most of the last enthusiasm her arms could muster for steep routes:

Rongy has only been here once before and there was a line that we didn’t hit on that trip, which I was really keen to get his opinion about.  Had Dan and I misinformed Steve in more ways than one when he had established Bad Directions?  The first reason was entirely Steve’s fault, I mean who mistakes an arête for a corner?!  But this did error had yielded a new route, which Dan and I immediately did the second ascent of claiming it only to be a grade 9.  When Glen climbed it and managed to break his foot on a lead fall (https://sandbagged.blog/2019/01/27/not-one-to-be-left-out/) I really started to doubt the grade:

By now Jaime was quite used to rapping down into the abyss, and with the promise of a much easier route that wouldn’t be as steep she was sold.  Both Jaime and I liked the look of belaying off a huge fallen boulder, meaning that Rongy would need to initially lead out up the wet and greasy black basalt.  He contested just a little bit.  But the stance we had was a little cramped with three of us, that along with and the potential risk of a large wobbly flake crashing down on us was enough to change his mind.  This flake gets a mention in the report when Howsie led this route but I can’t recall now what grade he thought the line was https://sandbagged.blog/2019/12/16/taking-the-backseat/:

Rongy was on a time schedule and we were still considering a dip in the ocean, so this would be the last route.  I was however not keen to start my dip prematurely, and while Jaime and I had instigated a belay off the boulder we were both tied in just in case a freak wave happened to hit us.  The boulder was wet with puddles all over it, so a bit of neat rope work was also in order to avoid my new rope getting soaked in the salt water.  It’s these position that makes this place so magical, and I feel that you may hear about a few return trips in the coming months:

Rongy ambled up the route, hardly stopping except to place a few wisely positioned bits of gear.  Even the wobbly flake didn’t seem to slow him down.  Jaime too managed a quick ascent and was probably relieved that I had not mislead here when I said it was a less steep route and much easier.  However, when she reached the flake she made a rookie mistake of pulling outwards and not downwards, despite having had prior warning it was wobbly.  It stayed put but the amount of movement did concern her.  The good news being that Jaime’s arms did do their stuff, but not on quite the same difficulty of climb as Ron Fawcett when he did Lord of the Flies and when the catch phrase “C’mon arms, do your stuff” was coined (at 25min in the linked video if you want to hear it):

I was up next and it felt cruisy, I looked up and asked Rongy what he felt and he replied with no more than a 12 and maybe less. Feeling a little better about not sandbagging people too much on this route, and also taking into account the guide makes mention of the loose flake as a warning, we packed up.  Back at the car we looked out over the bay, and as we had kinda guessed the swell and chop was too much and would have made snorkelling round the limestone bommies a little treacherous.  With luck we can score better conditions on the next trip here.  On that trip Rongy might also have more luck with jumping on Petropunster, which he had considered for today but with the rock condition being as it was it would not have been much fun: