Back in the Hole

Ok. This is getting a bit like old days now, the fervour and passion, pouring over old pics for potential lines. I abbed back into Twll Mawr this week, to clean and suss out another line attempted by the Twll Mawr Pioneer; Joe Brown. Guess what I found?

Turns out the owner of the nut also took photos of my First ascent of Taith Mawr..

I was my honour today to drop in on Joe Brown to talk Twll Mawr, and the recent developments that have been going on. Turns out the line I'm working on isn't the last of the lines he had his eye on, so I've a couple more for the bank. Oh and there's a box of gelignite on the ledges near Black Hole Sun.

Whilst wandering the back wall I took a pic of the upper pitch of Twll Love; it follows the left arete of this groove into the fins then scampers into Smaug with its tail between its legs.

The central groove was a bit too duff in its slate quality to attract me, and the right arete spooked me a little, as I remember it being really bald near the top when on Taith Mawr. However, looking at the FA shot, I think a way could be made that would get you to the top independent of Smaug. Thats ground up adventure climbing for you, and I'm not quite obsessed enough yet to do the Hindsight Variation finish....

Looking down the corner pitch of Twll Love.

I'd grown weary of slate climbing of late, but Twll Mawr is bigger than all that, transending the 'rockover left, rockover right above certain death' (or more recently - bolt) of most quarry conquests.

Quick! Get me to a boulder....