Trip report: Climbing Highway One

Date: June 22, 1998
Climbers: Mathias & Tim Wilkinson
Type of climbing: E4 6a with a few in-situ Enviro bolts.
Area: Portishead Quarry, South West England
22nd of June. In the afternoon. Tim comes by my cube as wehave arranged to go climbing as usual on one of the local cragsnear Bristol after work. The weather looks excellent and afterhaving been affected by rain and bad weather the whole previousweek we are on for doing some serious climbing.


HIGHWAY ONE E4 6a
Tim suggests Portishead Quarry and I quickly agree: "HeyLet's do Highway One!" I say to Tim. A significant tick inTim's left eye tells me that I have hit the target. Tim had climbedthis route before 10 years ago together with his super climber ofa brother "Joint". That time he managed to lead it onin-situ gear placed by Joint who - notwithout difficulties - lead the three-stared E4 6a back in '85. Tim has a bill to settle withthis classic of Portishead. I on the other hand don't have aclue what the route is like - I had seen it once before when I climbedin the Quarry for the first time the previous year. It definatelylooked like a stormer of a route, but having never climbed thatgrade before I don't really know what I have proposed and I amtherefore in a perfectly jolly mood as we drive down the M5 towardsPortishead.

We arrive at Portishead around 6pm, it's warm and the conditionsare perfect. We both have an intense look at "The Highway"before I start leading up "The Brink Of Solarity" asparsely protected but otherwise straight forward HVS on the mainslab. Tim belays me nervously from below in the close presenceof the main objective.

I finish the lead, Tim seconds and we abseil down to get started on the real business - Highway One *** 140ft E4 6a. As the guide book describes: "An area classic. The remarkable scoop, which is the main feature of the red-coloured wall offers sustained, technical climbing with the bonus of copious in-situ protection."

Tim begins on the dangerous start which offers no protection for the first 5 meters but still has some bold moves up to the first nut placement.

Tim begins on the dangerous start which offers no protectionfor the first 5 meters but still has some bold moves up to thefirst nut placement. He's looking confident and I belay him withcomplete attention (Hey I always do that! :-) First crux - takeshis time - moves up, back down. Rest. Moves up again - going forit "Watch me Mathias!" - pfeww - Tim reaches a tinybut positive hold before the traverse onto the main face...

45 minutes later. Tim has reached the top - good effort, close to whipping it twice but kept in control. My turn next. I psyche up and start the route.

The route was really technical with to wild cruxes - the second one I dyno-slipped to reaching a reasonable comfortable ledge. The last bit was pretty strenuous and provided a grand finish on the previous technicalities.

Totally pumped, Tim lends me his hand and I join him on thetop near the young trees. We set up a rope and start abseilingdown to our base. Midway we stop, and I give Tim a hug and weboth burst out in tears as the golden sun sets behind the quarriedlimestone.

Mathias 22JUN98

[only one of the paragraphs is fiction - honest!]

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