Finally did it. After a lot of hard work, I finally clipped the chains on Phantom Zone f7b+.
I headed down there on Monday afternoon with Phil Vickers and Ellie Leighfield, with the ensuing bad weather and the shorter nights drawing in I was convinced that this would be my final attempt.
On arriving at the crag we realised that both Phil and Ellie had forgotten their harnesses, I kid you not?! What a joke. Phil popped back to the car (serves him bloody right) and managed to return with a single harness for them to share. I hopped on Interstellar Overdrive to warm up and after sending that for the millionth time this season I swung accross and put the clips in on P.Z.
Phil and then Ellie both had a burn on Interstellar Overdrive which is a particularly hard route to read and is even harder to onsight.
Fully rested and fully psyched my turn came to get on P.Z. The moves firmly entrenched into the forefront of my mind (I have dreamed about it on numerous occassions since trying it for the first time four weeks ago) I tied in, squeaked my shoes and took a final deep breath.
My memory of the climbing is a big blur of power screams and crushing the life out of each horrible hold, pulling through each move up to the last crux sequence.
I can then distinctly remember squeezing the two horrible, crimpy side-pulls, setting up for the last hard move,
... deep breath, left foot on rubbery smear out right, right foot is good, BREATHE, sink down on the holds, look at the hold, I CAN stick it, BREATHE, throw right hand, aim high on the cheese grater tufa, SQUEEZE! ...
As I realised I'd stuck the hold I could feel the chain above me, beckoning me closer, just three more moves.
I was so psyched,
... I'm going to do this, come on, left foot on the hidden hold, left hand up to the shallow gaston edge, balance, squeeze the hold, balance, BREATHE, come on, fuck the clip, up to the jug, come on, lunge, YES, come on, I'm going to do this, make the clip, up to the final tufa, COME ON this is the last move, clip the chains. YES! ...
And that was it, all over, Phantom Zone, ticked. The smile on my face would have made a Cheshire Cat look miserable. Butterflies in my stomach, I lowered back to the ground. Sitting at the bottom of the route I looked back up at the holds ... I'd done it. It was mine. I was leaving victorious.
I would like to take this oppurtunity to thank Chris Rabone for the initial belays on the route, Sally Wheatley for belaying me for a session on it, Rin Colombi for belaying me on my first and second lead attempt, Ben, Leo and Chris for psyching me up to just go for it, Jon Freeman for belaying me on my third and fourth lead attempt and finally to Phil for belaying me on the fifth and final redpoint and Ellie for her encouragement.
Also a big thank you to Amy, for not killing me every time I talked about the route or did the moves in my sleep. I love you.
