Climbing at Häggsta with Anna

_MAL1156.jpg, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

Yesterday we managed only a few climbs before having to return to civilization. So today, Anna and I returned to the wilderness for some more close encounters with the rock. This time, we biked to Häggsta — I with my giant backpack full of climbing gear. I think the ride to the cliff was a harder workout than the climb!

_MAL1127.jpg, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

We still don't have a decent guide to the climbing in the area (they're out of print!). So we fumbled around a bit, trying a tricky route we later learned is called den omöliga väggen, or the impossible wall. Impossible, I'm sure it's not; but it was definitely too difficult for us today. We'll have to try that one again someday. Next we tried to lead Bilbo's Arête, but learned halfway up that the bolts only go halfway up. Oops. Luckily, another climber on his way down an adjacent route helped up retrieve our last quick-draw from the rock.

_MAL1132.jpg, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

By coincidence, we ran into Patrick, Isabelle and Lina on the rock. They were doing some traditional climbing; it looked like they were having fun, and with their trad gear, they were able to lead routes we couldn't. Patrick is the one who helpfully informed us of the dearth of bolts on the route we had been attempting.

With time and sunshine running out, Anna and I packed up the rope and scrambled up a crack in the rock to look for other top-rope anchors at the cliff edge. We found a really good route there. It begins with some cracks, a boulder sticking out from the cliff, and a little overhang. Then there's a gently sloping cliff straight up to the anchor. Anna and I both agreed it was a lot of fun and we plan to return to that route soon. It was almost exactly 30 meters tall, perfect for my new 60 m rope.

Häggsta is obviously meant for traditional climbing. There aren't enough bolts in the rock for bolted lead climbing. You gotta have your own protection to stick in the rock, because even where there are bolts, they are too far apart for comfort. I still haven't taken a trad climbing course, and don't plan to put my life on a piece of pro until I've gotten proper instruction in the device's use. I gotta take a trad climbing course soon so I can get more out of Häggsta.

I have posted 19 photos from today's climbing.

A quick climb or two at Häggsta

_MAL2825.jpg, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

Thursday was a holiday here in Sweden (Ascension Day), so I went to the cliffs and Häggsta and did some ascending of my own. Lisa, Matt, Christer and Marie joined me. It was cool and windy, but we made the best of it. I climbed a 50-m cliff, probably the tallest cliff I've ever climbed. It wasn't such a lovely day, so I took only this one photo.

Climbing with Åsa at Häggsta

_MAL1420.jpg, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

On Sunday I joined Åsa and friends at Häggsta for a bit of climbing. It was cool and windy, but the sun was shining. We had a great time, and climbed a new route that involves a little overhang. Fun!

Check out the 47 photos from the day!

Climbing at Häggsta with Matt & Lisa

_MAL8250, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

Today was fun! Matt and Lisa joined me for some climbing at Häggsta, the same place I went with Åsa R. a while back, Häggsta. We took the commuter train to Huddinge and then biked the 5 or so km to the cliffs. Then we spent a few hours climbing. The temperature was well over 20 °C early in the afternoon, dropping into the teens only around six o'clock. Take a look at the 51 photos from today!

We made several approaches up the cliff. First, Matt led a route that didn't have many bolts, so he put in his own protection as he climbed. For those of you know familiar with climbing, this means he stuck little devices into cracks in the rock and then secured himself to these by hooking his rope through the devices. Once at the top, Matt belayed Lisa as she climbed up. Once she was at the top, I followed. We rappelled down and did the same thing a few meters to the left of where we climbed first.

Today marked a couple of firsts for me: my first time to be belayed from above, and my first time to rappel using a Grigri belaying device. I think outdoor climbing has gotten a grip on me. Tuesday I'll work downtown, not too far from a couple of outdoor equipment shops. I plan to swing by over my lunch break and pick up a few goodies, including a climbing helmet, a basic 'bucket' style belaying device, and perhaps a crash pad for bouldering.

Sport climbing at Häggstaberget

_MAL6800, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

On Friday I joined Åsa R. for a bit of cliff-climbing. We biked from Tullinge station out to Häggsta, a bit North of Flottsbro, where I went mountain biking last autumn. We parked our bikes at the foot of the cliffs and Åsa hiked around to put the rope through a ringbolt at the top of the cliff. We climbed several routes up the rock, moving the rope to another ringbolt twice.

After a few ascents, we sat in the afternoon sunlight and had a little fika of coffee and sandwiches. Despite the warm sunlight, it was just a few degrees above freezing outside, so the warm coffee helped a lot. After our snack, we made a few more climbs before biking back. Åsa lives in the neighborhood, so Häggstaberget is her “home mountain.”

This was my first time in more than a decade to do any outdoor sport climbing. I think I'm hooked! Here are the 30 photos from the day.