Not being taken away

When you can’t do something that everyone else can do, you can still have a nice day.

This is a very lazy post.

Well maybe it isn’t a lazy post. Technically speaking, more time and effort went into it than other posts due to the cold endured and the feelings of inadequacy experienced in its conception. Anyway.

Not to be taken away takes the obvious ramp up the Grand Hotel at Stanage and is probably the most photographed boulder in the Peak District, or at least that’s what all the guidebooks say. First climbed in 1976 by John Allen and polished by its popularity, it’s been dubbed a ‘victim of its own success’ by Peak Rock as the smeary crux move is now a grade harder than it once was. It originally got E2 6a, but throw a load of foam underneath it and you’ve got yourself a f6C boulder problem.

That crux move consists of a smeary right foot with a throw to good holds, followed by what I’m told is easier (albeit higher) ground rightwards up the ramp. I don’t actually know whether it’s easier because I’ve never got past the crux.

Not to be taken away has always been on my ticklist. In fact, it’s on most ticklists because it’s so darn beautiful. I’m yet to get past the first move, but my failings have showed me that there’s joy to be derived in the successes of others through climbing.

During a session I watched climber after climber walk up it, warm up on it, flash it, get it on the third go with a bit of a fight (but they still made it)… All the while I flailed about on the first move.

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit grumpy. But whether or not I made it to the top of any boulders that day (I didn’t), I was still glad to have spent a good few hours trying. Out at Stanage there are no losers and no winners. Sure there’s always the first person to send the problem and those that never manage. There are grumpy moments, there’s self-doubt and there’s always someone stronger than you, but a day at the crag is never ill-spent, a day at the crag is always a good day*. And that’s quite a wonderful feeling.

I didn’t get the tick, but I did get to the end of a roll of film. Here are even more photos of the most photographed boulder in the Peak on what was a successful climbing day for Nick and Seb and a less successful (but still very enjoyable) climbing day for me.