Two routes on the Bearnagh Slabs

"Crooked Chimney" on the Bearnagh Slabs was one of the first routes I climbed in the Mournes, with Mark Anderson back in 2006. Then in April 2007, nine months after my fall on Hen Mountain, Mark Warnock led me up "Grand Central", one of the classic VD grade climbs. It was the first climb after my accident, and I remember really struggling with a very stiff right wrist that has still not quite recovered. The one part of the climb that I remember vividly is the chimney ending right at the top. It's really awkward, and I remember throwing my right hand into a fist-jam and thinking "well at least it can't really come out!"

Last Saturday Mark and I returned to the Bearnagh Slabs, and this time I led up Grand Central, allowing Mark the luxury of seconding it for the first time in seven ascents over the last twelve years. The chimney will be a doddle this time, I thought. Hah! It was a battle again, and when I finally heaved myself onto flat ground at the top I felt as though I'd just been extruded from a meat grinder. At least Mark had the decency to struggle as well (he usually takes the layback alternative to the left of the chimney, probably a more sensible proposition). I had placed a cam for protection that was slightly too big for the crack it was in; as a result I was worried that it might get stuck. When it was Mark's turn to follow me I heard a lot of metallic tinkering sounds interspersed with the occasional Northern Irish grunt. "Is the cam stuck!", I shouted. "No, I've got it, I'm stuck in this chimney though!"

I took this photo of him emerging from the chimney.


After a bite to eat, we climbed Hypothesis, which, along with White Walls on Spellack and Pillar Variant on Lower Cove, is one of the finest routes of its grade in the Mournes. In fact, because it's longer than the other two, I would say it's the best. It's one of those climbs that you just wish was a few pitches longer.



Now, serious climbing photographers are always very scathing of "bumshots" ie photos taken of climbers from below that show that part of the anatomy usually aimed at the camera. But when you're belaying someone leading a climb you tend to snap what you can get. I haven't met a leader yet who'll complain about his second taking a bad photo because he was minding the rope!
But as bumshots go, I don't think this one is too bad.


This is the view looking from the Bearnagh Slabs down past the eastern flank of Slieve Meelmore to the Trassey track, which is the traditional approach to the slabs.

FM - Lamagan Slabs

We are enjoying an Indian summer at present, just as we did this time last year and the year before. On Saturday 12 September, Mark and I set a date with "FM", a long easy route on the slabs on the east side of Slieve Lamagan. Mark texted me early in the morning to say he was not well, but because I was all ready to go, I decided to go anyway, taking a half-rope with me in addition to my gear rack. My intention was to have a look at FM to see if I felt confident enough to free solo or maybe rope-solo it.


It was another glorious day, and the view above, looking up the Annalong Valley, is one I've photographed many times, but seldom with completely clear skies.


The photo above is of Slieve Lamagan, with the slabs facing the camera directly. FM follows a crack line more or less straight up the middle, past the white spot. I doubt I would have soloed it, because this route is one of those that always looks wet; it has a lot of dark lichen on the rock that looks like wet streaks. I was aware of this, but not having climbed it before, I didn't want to come across a wet slab at some point where I couldn't easily retreat. I was standing near the base of it weighing all this up when I heard the familiar tinkling of climbing equipment, and saw three climbers about to overtake me on the slope. After a brief discussion over whether the rock was wet or not, I explained to them that I had been going to climb it that day but my climbing partner was sick. Once they established that I had equipment with me, I was asked to join them, and I readily agreed. We split into two teams of two, Martin leading Maura, and me leading Margaret behind them (it's only just occurred to me that all our names start with "M"). They had a full rope and one half-rope, so it worked out perfectly, Martin led on the full rope and I used the two half-ropes.




I really enjoyed the climb and the company of these folk from Dublin. This is one of the things I love about climbing, that you can meet perfect strangers but if you all climb you always seem to have a lot in common, and not just the lingo of climbing itself. Oh and the rock was bone-dry the whole way.