New Members Meet, Ynys 2015

Wil Treasure belays Keith Turton on Cemetery Gates

Wil Treasure belays Keith Turton on Cemetery Gates

Brilliant weather, classic climbs and great company made the perfect combination for this autumn’s new members meet at Ynys Ettws on 3 & 4 October. We had made contingency plans to range far and wide over North Wales to find dry rock, but as it hadn’t rained for two weeks we didn’t even have to drive, just walk across the road to crags which were dry for the first time this summer.

Dave Rumney and Pete Frost turned up early, on Friday afternoon and set the tone for the weekend with a warm-up on Cemetery Gates (E1 5b) and a sandbag on Grond (never E1 5b!). As the team assembled in the evening a glass of prosecco awaited them, plus a conundrum: how to distinguish between the three Chris’s? Chris Gardener became “Shirt” because of his unmissable orange apparel, Chris Bagworth became “Hat” because of the rather fetching beanie he sported, and Chris Tym became “Socks” for reasons which are best not committed to print.

Saturday dawned overcast but dry and we joined the hordes on Dinas Cromlech – apart from Dave R and Tim Whitaker who, having climbed just about anything anyone had ever heard of on the more well frequented outcrops, went in search of “esoterica” on Craig Ddu and beyond, The queues for Cemetery Gates were huge – unheard of in October – and the word is that Snowdonia National Park will be installing a parking meter on the intermediate belay next season. Wil Treasure (aka Wil Twice) managed to bag an ascent with Keith Turton, going on to climb the Holy Trinity (Cenotaph Corner, Cemetery Gates and Ivy Sepulchre). Socks paired with Sharon Jones to tick classics such as Dives/Better Things, Hat paired with Stacey Gardner on classics like Spiral Stairs, and Pete paired with Shirt on the decidedly non-classic Curfew (scene of an aerial ballet with a large detached block some years ago). In return for risking a rhyolite shower, Shirt got to lead the exhilarating top pitch of Sabre Cut and harmony was restored. Meantime Liz Fowler dropped by for a swift lead of Left Wall and a pre-dnner cuppa and chat.

Bring-and-share dinners are becoming a feature of new members meets and Stacey’s gourmet chilli, Sock’s perfectly cooked salad and Sharon’s brilliant, home-grown-rhubarb crumble have set the bar high for next time. We retired well fed, ready for what the next day would bring.

Sunday dawned bright and clear (yr.no beat metoffice.gov.uk there) and we decided that yesterday’s walk-in was excessive, so we wandered over to Carreg Wastad instead – apart from Dave and Tim who struck out in search of more esoterica! A full clutch of classics was ticked – Wrinkle, Crackstone Rib, Skylon etc, plus the decidedly non-classic Wastad sandbag of Unicorn: incredibly polished up to the crux and oddly un-polished above it. Shirt found himself following Pete up the crux pitch through a maze of gorse and holly, but led the exhilarating top pitch – a pattern was starting to emerge here. Fortunately, Shirt got the exhilarating top pitch of Overlapping Wall and harmony was restored.

Tea, tea-loaf and goodbyes followed. Now the summer has ended, the rain has even washed the chalk off Vector and all that remain are great memories and new friendships: but isn’t that what it’s all about?

Peter Frost

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One comment on “New Members Meet, Ynys 2015
  1. avatar Keith Sanders says:

    great report on what seems to have been a fantastic weekend.
    Maybe we should have more of these new members meets at different huts, along with the old goats meets.
    keith s

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