I spent a couple of hours at Burbage North on Saturday. After falling off all of the obligatory easy warm-ups (I just don’t get grit!) I ventured onto the classic Banana Finger. I thought it was fun, but maybe not as good as the hype might suggest. Regardless, it was on my tick list, so it was nice to be able to cross one off for a change. I would have given the Direct Start a go, but the knee bar sounds horrendous.
Banana Finger was on my list for one reason only; it’s classic status. Often, I seem to be drawn to the most obscure problems. This is mainly due to two factors. First, I don’t like crowded areas. Bouldering with a group of friends is great fun, but being amongst a large group of noisy randoms isn’t. I live in a city and part of the reason that I go climbing is to get away from crowded, stressful environs. Another negative aspect that I have noticed about classic problems is that they tend to be more reachy. Of course this isn’t always the case, but I have noticed it a few times. Obscure problems tend to suit me better. I guess I’m just odd ;-)
Seeking out the path less trodden isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it just however leaves me wondering if these lesser know problems are actually the grade they claim to be. By doing a few more established problems, I hope to calibrate my grading ability accordingly.
Sunday was spent wandering around the Plantation mostly sliding off greasy rock. I did however manage to squeeze in this fun V4 arête on the Pebble before the rain and midges arrived.
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