Ask anyone familiar with Polldubh to list its VS classics and you’d expect to see Phantom Slab and The Old Wall high up alongside Damnation and Resurrection. So, having done the first pair just once each and not been on either since 1991, I was keen to revisit them and teamed up with Jim at last night’s breezily sunny Polldubh Club meet to climb them again. Approaching Phantom Slab the ‘normal’ way via the first two pitches of Pandora, I made sure to snaffle the first pitch so I got the slab, and have to say I’d forgotten just how good it is (and, oh yes, it’s good!)… Of course that meant Jim got the lead for The Old Wall (surely quite some sandbag at its original 1963 grade of Hard Severe!) but, given its very different character (a steep and slightly intimidating first half leading to a delightfully run-out jugfest), I’m not too sorry he did.
Now, we met this couple Gary and Karen (who’d just done Storm and had been hoping to do our route) at the base of the climb, but they moved onto The Anniversary (E3 5c!) when they found us gearing up for it. And Gary led this much harder route, finding it quite dirty and offering Karen the option of following before abseiling down to clean the gear. Having asked him the grade and yelled a casual ‘well done!’ (to which he said thanks, but he’d done it before) after just assuming they were part of our Club group, it was only during a later discussion at the Nevisport Bar that it dawned on me that he was Scottish climbing legend Gary Latter. Who I should have recognised because I’ve got both his Scottish Rock guidebooks (must check to see if there are any photos with that funny woolly hat in there) and had obviously done The Anniversary (not at all difficult by his standards) previously because he made the first ascent with Dave Cuthbertson in 1985! Which probably all adds up to an amusingly embarrassing (but repeatable) little tale to set alongside being watched/photographed on Secretaries’ Super Direct by Dave MacLeod last October without being aware that he was there… :-O
Back on the Onich Slabs this afternoon with Chuck, Lorenzo and seven primary school pupils, we managed a sunny and successful abseiling/top-roping session with everyone (including several of Monday’s contingent) looking more comfortable and having a great time.