Hookers Corner

Yet another succesfull day in Lochain. Adam and I ventured up into the gorms today decpite the 60-70mph winds and the driving rain we where psyched to get somthing done. As we entered the mouth of the coire we saw that most of the buttresses where black and it was just the icey sheets on the rock that where left. So thinking the day might be a write off we decided to solo a 10m ice pitch at around grade II just under No.4 buttress, but as we got to the top we saw that a small collection of routes either side of the Y gullies where in good condition. We decided to go for Hookers Corner wich looked in good nic, the rock was white, turf was frozen and there was ice in the cracks. Adam set off leading the first pitch and looked to be crusing ( as usual), he had to fight the icey cracks for gear and make do with poor hooks and runners he found, but decpite this he was going ok. Thankfully he found a good large hex placement halfway up the route because as he started the first moves of the crux (2 meters above the hex) he went to match his axe in what he thought was a good hook, 30ft of free falling later he realised his axe had ripped out and so had most of his gear apart from that nice hex, leaving his other axe still high on the route and his head half a meter off the deck. I lowered him back to the belay and as I was the only one with 2 axes it was my turn to give the spicey route a taste. Its strenuous climbing kicked in straight away but I slowly made upward progres, and some wild moves later I was at the insitue belay wondering how I had stayed on the minimal foot placements and the crazing egytion moves. As we walked back to the car we where glad that we did not turn back when it started raining on the walk in and we where both pleased with the day we had just had. (some times you’ve got the fight to get a good route done)