“Whose ropes shall we use?” Such a frequently asked question that you ask your climbing partners each weekend. However waking up in Dan’s van at Wasdale Head to discover that, due to a mix-up in communication, I had only packed one half, made me wish I had been listening more clearly. After a bit of a debate as to what rope system to use we discovered Dan’s wall rope in the back of his van. Climbing on a single would be the order of the day. Not a very auspicious start considering that we were planning to climb the modern classic: Botterill’s Slab. After a brew, we set off to arrive at the crag and discover that a team was already on our objective.

By the time the other team had moved off the belay and I had led the first pitch Dan was chomping at the bit and was up at the belay in a flash. He smoothly led the slab pitch on thin ice, which became very thin as he rounded the crux bulge at the top of the pitch. I managed to follow, although a little more shakily. The final squeeze-chimney pitch was one of the most fun pitches I’ve climbed in winter; squirming and thrutching on iced-up rock to edge higher and higher, until finally popping out of the top.

I always find it strange in winter, on a beautiful day, when walking down in warm sunshine to consider that we were earlier climbing wearing jackets, and wrapped up warm on belays, in cold winter conditions and were now able to walk down in just our baselayers.