I just got back from 3 weeks in Arctic Norway climbing on the 400m
North face of Blamann with Dave Macleod and later Calum Muskett.
The aim was to have a go at free climbing one of the aid routes up the central
steepest part of the face. Disko 2000 takes a direct line through a series of huge roofs. I saw the trip as an amazing opportunity to learn
some new things from a pair of very experienced climbers, I left with no
expectations.
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| The wall, from base camp |
Arriving into Tromso airport to midnight sun and meeting Dave was an odd
experience. I felt somewhat self conscious setting off on a big climbing trip
with someone whose climbing had inspired me for many years, but who I'd never
actually met in person. Luckily I was able to prove useful straight away, by
hiking huge loads of ropes and gear up to the base of the wall. Dave was
recovering from ankle surgery so had to take it easy with the carrying. I felt
relieved that even if I wasn't going to be able to climb anything, I'd already
done something towards making the trip a success!
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| Dave kicking steps to the base of the wall |
It looked as though the wildly overhanging first half (roughly 200m) would
be the crux for free climbing, after this the face slabbed out a bit. Our plan
was to aid the steep part and get fixed ropes in place which would allow us to
work the pitches. The aid turned out to be pretty scary! A particularly bad
moment was when Dave was aiding his way up an expanding flake 5m directly above
me. Each peg he hammered in the flake detached further from the wall. I could
hear it creaking. I cowered behind a small roof, trying to get as much of my
body out of the firing line as possible in case Dave, the flake or both were to
detach from the wall. That day we climbed until 6am, the north facing aspect
meaning we were climbing in the sun in the middle of the night. Around midnight
there was this spectacular, seemingly never-ending sunrise/sunset.
Once we had the first four pitches fixed, Dave decided to spend a day
working some moves on the lower pitches whilst I offered to go aid soloing
above to get our fixed ropes higher. I've always been fascinated with the idea
of rope soloing. The whole face was enveloped in cloud that day, it felt wild
to be up high on the wall, in my own little bubble of visibility inside the
swirling clouds. Aiding pitch 7 I was required to do a pendulum 4m to my right
to switch crack systems. I puzzled about how we would free climb this part. I
spotted a jug miles out to my right, "I wonder if it would be possible to
just jump to that?" I thought...
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| rope solo fun-times |
Disko 2000 shares the first two pitches with an existing free route called
Arctandria. Pitch two gets 8a+, the crux of Arctandria. 40m of perfect clean
corner with a thin crack in the back. The crack is so thin in sections that it
has to be aid climbed using very thin beaks. We left a few of these in as
protection when free climbing, I didn't like the idea of testing them. My first
work session on this pitch was dispiriting. There was body-length of climbing
that I just couldn't figure out. It seemed to either require crimping on
impossibly small edges or standing on impossibly blank smears. I went down to
camp disheartened. It then rained for four days straight, sat in the tent for
hours upon hours I did not rate my chances of climbing that corner!
When the rain finally stopped I went back up for another play. I found a way
of doing the move, which involved a crazy "crucifix" style palm out
behind me, followed by a desperate "windmill" move to snatch a
fingerlock. It was on. The next day we waited anxiously for conditions, heading
up to climb late in the evening. It felt dreamlike as I climbed smoothly up to
the precarious rest stood on a sloping shelf below the crux. I expected to
fall. I felt my left hand opening on the crimp in the crack. I thought I was
off right up until the moment I found myself holding the fingerlock at the end
of the crux. For sure one of my best climbing performances to date. Brilliant.
Dave climbed the pitch in the Polar twilight shortly after me. We were getting
it done!
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| The crux of pitch 2 |
The next day we tried the other 4 of the first 5 pitches. Dave pulled
out a smooth send of pitch 4, another amazing 8a+ pitch. This one climbing in
and around multiple roofs on crimps. It was particularly impressive since it
happened to be pouring with rain at the time. I was getting soaked at the
belay, but the pitch was staying dry! I wasn't able to do one of the moves on
this pitch. I would have loved to be able to climb it, in fact, it may have
inspired me to do some fingerboarding!
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| Dave on pitch 4 |
The other highlight of the day was pitch 5, the "Kalk & Gummi"
roof as it was dubbed by the first aid ascentionists. It's for sure one of the
most eye-catching pitches on the route. A 45 degree overhanging finger crack,
with some wild crux moves to catch a jug on the lip. The problem was that the
crack seemed to be permanently soaked in a thick black slime. Amazingly it
became apparent that the finger-locks were so bomber you could use them even in
the wet. We took it in turns having goes at leading the pitch, making a paste
of chalk and slime, which turned out to be slightly more
sticky that just slime! Water was running down my arms as I pulled between
locks. Catching the jug on the lip and cutting loose has to be one of the most
heroic positions I've ever found myself in! If I was to design a free climb I
couldn't ask for a more perfectly positioned hold.
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| Dave on the lip of the Kalk & Gummi roof |
The next day we jugged up to the top of the Kalk & Gummi roof with the
aim of free climbing to the top from there. We soon found ourselves underneath pitch 7, the dyno pitch. Dave went up on
our fixed rope and much to my disappointment, found a way of free climbing
around the dyno move, going right a few meters higher. It looked desperate. He
offered to lead the pitch his way, but I had a nagging feeling that I'd regret
it if I didn't at least have a go at the dyno. I asked if it would be ok for me
to have a bash first. Both feet pasted on smears and eyeing up the jug way off
to my right, it suddenly looked a lot further away and less jug-like. Detaching
brain, I flung myself sideways across the void, touched the hold and skittered
off downwards to meet Dave at the belay 8m below. I think both Calum and Dave
thought I was completely mad when I mentioned I was going to have another go.
The second failed attempt left me with blood pouring out of my right hand and
visibly shaking from adrenalin. I was getting closer! Dave suggested moving in
more of an arc motion rather than a straight line. I thought of what Johnny
Dawes might say, "you've got to find the fast currents". I visualised my path through the air like
one of those Donnie Darko movement trains. Actually maybe I didn’t do any
of these things, anyway, I stuck it! Just. Feet pedaling wildly I stood up on
the shelf I'd jumped to. I had to stand there for about ten minutes to stop
shaking enough to lead the rest of the pitch.
Disco 2000, 8a+ Blåmman from Dave MacLeod on Vimeo.
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| Dyno! |
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| Incredible climbing after the dyno on pitch 7 |
This pitch was the end of our fixed ropes. We were just over half way up the
wall. The weather was starting to look pretty terrible. It seemed to be raining
on both sides of us. Calum decided to head down, leaving me and Dave to press
on towards the top. Both of us fully expecting to bail when it started raining
in ten minutes time. But it didn't. Somehow the storm was holding off. The
route now followed a large corner system which turned out to be pretty wet,
Dave pulled out an amazing lead of a pitch that would be solid E5 if it were
dry. There followed a somewhat gruesome squeeze
chimney that turned out to be my lead. As we climbed higher the weather looked
worse and worse. I started to get pretty scared at the prospect of navigating
our way back down the wall in the storm should we have to bail. I was seconding
the last pitch to the top of the wall as the heavens opened and we were both
soaked to the skin. Amazing timing!
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| Summit! In the pouring rain |
I was disappointing not to be able to redpoint pitch 4, but happy with how I climbed on the rest of the route. We did it in the best style we could, given some atrocious weather; redpointing
the first 5 pitches over two days (I managed 4 of these), then climbing the rest of the route to the
top on day 3. The one day free ascent is still there for the taking and would
be a very good effort indeed!
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| Topo of Disko 2000 free route |
