The lion sleeps tonight

Well after climbing shadow walker the next logical step was to then try Dave Pickfords new link out of the top of shadow the lion sleeps, so inlisting the help of pete for belay and photo duties we set off back down to the ched.
with perfect conditions and after a coffee I set off up the line warming up on the lower half getting the draws in this then followed by a play on the new moves of the link, this entails from the undercuts of shadow a shuffle right past some small undercuts and crimps to the arate where some nifty heal hooking and hand flicking sees you topping out back at the lower off of shadow. The moves worked and where to clip from sorted I lowered back down for a little rest before going for the point.




The upper arête heal flick move


Feeling good I pulled the rope and set off, with not to much fuss I found myself under the last slab of shadow on the undercuts feeling happy not to be going up on the small crimps and sidepulls but right instead over to the arête and the fun climbing there on.
So that brings us to the grade and I think from that feeling I had on the headwall it's for me easier than shadow but not much putting it in the hard 8a or easy 8a+ or as the Spanish like to put it 8a/8a+ gota love the slash grade?

- Posted from someplace I'm sure