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Mike Adams has been a busy again, taking advantage of the stunning, blue sky weather to grab some quality first ascents in the Lily Savage area in the Ogwen Valley (see page 139 in the NWB guide) with Ben Farley and Owen McShane.
After repeating the classic Lily Savage V8/7B, Mike noticed an obvious more direct finish staying with the difficulty of the roof and following a roof crack rather than bailing out rightwards on jugs. After a few goes this came together as Lily’s Left Hand V8/7B+.
“Whilst climbing these I couldn’t help noticing the awesome looking aręte on the left hand side of the block. I decided I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t check it out despite it having a terrible landing. I talked Ben and Owen into spotting for me and tentatively move by move I managed to string a sequence together with both my spotters and myself fearing for our lives at times.”
“I started from a sitting position with the left hand on the aręte and right on the lowest part of a big curing edge hold. A very stiff pull up off the floor allowed me to get a heel hook in and slap the left up the aręte and build the left foot up. I then brought the right hand up the layaway hold so I could keep slapping with the left until I could just about reach to pinch the slopey lip. In a very stretched out position I managed to get a toe hook in to take the sting out of the swing to bring the right up to match. This was a terrifying move!!!! As it felt as though you were swinging out over an abyss and was hard not to put a foot down out of fear.”
“The finish was easy but if you did fall from it you would be in trouble. On problems like this your spotters are really important and it is thanks to Ben and Owen that I had the confidence to eventually send this.”
“Grading Danny LaRue is a tough one, I think if it wasn’t so scary it would only be V10/7C+ but I walked away feeling like I’d just wrestled with an 8A, but this could just be that added extra element of fear or just wishful thinking? It was certainly harder than the other stuff so, V10/11/7C+/8A I suppose.” Explained Mike.
The last line of note was an arete immediately below Danny LaRue. This is the left aręte of the block that the Lily Savage block sits on. Ben climbed this from standing to give a really class V6/7A and dubbed it Paul O Grady.
Mike then climbed the V9/7C sitting start, which turned out to be equally as good. This starts off an edge with the right hand and an arete pinch with the left and moves up using some beautiful slopes to join the stand up.
Also of note all is a weird funky fin just to the right which was given a multiple ascent by the lads. This starts with right hand in a crack and a heel on a shelf, before making a very strange twisting lock to good holds on the fin proper, and is about V7/7A+.
“These four problems I believe are genuinely sticking and are all three star lines, which feel really pure when climbed. It is rare to have a cluster of them so close together. There is also other stuff in the area as well, Ben and Owen climbed many good easier walls (sub V6/7A), which makes this a massively overlooked area. I was certainly surprised!” enthused Mike.
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