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Dumby Sport

This fine sunny weather and still reasonably cool air makes Dumbarton a real pleasure and I got my psyche back for the sports routes there. Sufferance is an old bug bear and I need to get back on it, with the recent repeats by Will Atkinson and Nic Duboust leaving it well chalked and telegraphed, I am inspired, so no excuse.

For a quick evening's visit, we warmed up on Abstract Art but the top move to the greasy ledge is still wet - it's such a shame this route gets so green as it provides some excellent technical climbing for 6c. In fact this whole slabby wall would make good sports routes but some never-to-be repeated trad routes live here. The E7 I can (maybe) see as a classic highball challenge, but the other routes never get repeats and the trad ethic, though admirable, sometimes freezes rock into an historical lock-down and anti-social isolation! But I'm starting a dangerous argument, best leave well alone!

Wanting to test my respoint skills I went on to do Persistence of Vision, the super 7a+ 'slab' under Requiem. This is deservedly the most popular sport route at around this grade at Dumby, but the crux is putting the clip into the top bolt, you have to stretch with clipper in hand, lunge dynamically the last few inches, clip and hold as you swing off, extend, lower, then do the route! With the extended clipper it is a lot more do-able and a real cracker to redpoint.

Sufferance awaits as usual.

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