With back to back days of heading out I put forward the idea of another tardy start. The relaxed meet up time resulted me getting up close to my usual wake up time. And I hope will prevent fatigue setting in, from the cumulative effects of back to back nights of reduced sleep. Josh was already camping out at Hamlin Bay, and I wonder if he was thinking of the ability to have an extra-long lie in, when he cheekily suggested that if I happen to be down that way he’d be keen to get out. There was only one choice of crag that far south:
Cosy Corner is a lonely crag that is rarely visited, but one I really like despite the short and at times broken climbs. The setting makes this place so special, and when word got out about our plans it piqued Pontus and Sam’s interest. And after tagging along for our climb at Welly Dam yesterday, Ari also expressed an interest to join us today. Despite having the shortest journey, Josh still managed to be the last to arrive. Not by too long but we waited till he arrived before walking the short ten minute approach, talking a detour to get a view of place:
The crag faces the ocean and the only way to see it in all its glory is to walk out to a headland, just past where the climbing is. Seeing it was a first time visit for three of the crew I felt this was worthwhile. Enabling them to soak in the sight that greeted them, and also get their bearings of where we were heading. I also took the opportunity to give a bit of a safety talk. We were abseiling in, and had no choice but to climb out. There was also a three meter swell forecast, meaning the black basalt slab we would be belaying from could be waved washed:
Seeing the place from the headland, some of these issues dawned on them. I could sense excitement, and also possibly some nerves, setting in. With up to five of us at the base at any one time, I set up a Tyrolean traverse along the slab. Using the end of the rap line to create a safety line, attached at three points, allowed us to access the climbs we had in mind while being attached the whole time. This proved very worthwhile, as on occasion one of more of us got a soaking. Below it was Pontus’s turn, as he belayed Sam. But later on it was Sam got the biggest drenching, from head to toe:
Added to the need to take care of waves and as this place doesn’t get much attention, there is the potential for a bit of loose rock here and there. Not that I’m trying to make the place sound unappealing, but there is a need to know and manage the risks. It was great to see everyone took the situation seriously. While we were here for fun, and we had that in bucket loads, we all also wanted to be safe and get home relatively unscathed. I say it like that as, while a bit of water wouldn’t hurt us, scrapes and bruises may be expected on occasion. But we aim to have nothing worse occur:
It’s certainly not everyone’s cup of tea, but we all loved it today. Just being in the situation was a real buzz. The climbing was a bonus. The sound of the waves were somewhere between susurration and thundering. The former word being used to describe gentle waves, taken from the Latin verb to whisper, susurrare. And the latter word speaking loudly for itself. As did the climbing. On, for the most part, solid granite offering awesome holds, reached between great moves with at times imposing exposure. While some were challenged by a climb or two, there were smiles all round:
Howsie will be happy to hear we included, in our tally today, the two most recently established routes. I led both climbs today and am happy to report they were great fun and worthy additions. I felt we got the grade of his line about right, but my line may be a tad under graded. However, I wasn’t sure if it was just that my arms were tiring after the session at Welly Dam yesterday. Sam watched me climb it, and was keen to have a crack himself. Below he is pulling through the crux sequence, loving it. After sampling it, he agreed it may be a bit of a sandbag. It seems my reputation continues:
While I said recent additions, Howsie and I put the lines up on my last visit here. And I am somewhat horrified to see that was just before the end of 2022. Hopefully I won’t wait quite as long before my next trip here. And after today, I feel I can add Pontus, Sam, and Ari to the list of people who would gladly return here; improving my chances of making sure I don’t ignore this place for as long as I have this time. While the other three were feeling content, as the sun was getting close to tipping over the face, Sam was itching for one more climb. So the two of us dropped in, allowing us to clean the soaking Tyrolean traverse and squeeze just one more route in:
Sandbagged 