Sotra - Love hate climbing relationship

I have this love hate thing with climbing, I think of it all the time, and have generally directed my life in such a manner that climbing is number one, and nothing else gets in the way. There is one problem, it scares me stupid at times, and although I am safe I am not a particularly good technical climber. A somewhat ironic situation to be in, dedicating your life to climbing and not actually being at the top end of it. I’ve tried giving it up several times, and every time I fluff a lead or get scared I say “That’s it! Just stop this ridiculous game right now and take up knitting”, but that never ever happens. May be when I get old, the legs weaker, the ego less stubborn, I will just drift away from this, and be happy with short walks by the fjords….

Another SMS from Perry… I pick him up… we head to Sotra…. A new crag called Liafjell Nord… a new route… Pinsevennen…. And it begins again… steep slab, cold hands, tentative smears and traverses, hand jams in wet cracks, and scary rockovers, brings us to the first belay, and more highsteps, rockovers, watch me, smeared feet slowly creeping earthward… I knew I should have gone for the pinch, but just panicked and went for the hand jam, it was wet and muddy, and when I tried for the pinch I just covered it in water and mud, so had to go back to the wet sloppy hand jam and make it work. It worked… just… Fingery moves to fingery and hard for the grade, the grade means nothing anymore, it’s all adventure climbing.

Norsk 5-, (HVS 5a, 75m)

After this we head back to an old route I have done before on a crag called Ørnanipa, which is really near the road. Lovely crag and we wondered up the front face for two pitches at about Norsk 4. A really good route, not to hard at any point, although on the second pitch the original line goes left up a hanging corner, which has a few very rusty pegs and old tat in (alarm bells, images of epics spring flood through the mind!). On both occasions when I have done this route I have gone right, and climbed a short, boulder corner, possible British 5b (Norsk 6?). Its short and well protected but brutal, but it brings you to an easy leftward traverse. It’s a shame this route isn’t more consistent in grade throughout as it would make a lovely first time trad route. May be I will go back up again, and see if I can find a more consistent line… hmm…

Perry has his eyes on some Norsk 6 and 7 now…