Sump To Summit

After a few easy days, we decided it was time for another big one! With a 5:45 a.m. start, Labyrinth Ridge looked like the perfect choice: 20 pitches, including scrambling, easy climbing, harder climbing, and a 5b crack (more on that later)!

The walk-in was a breezy five minutes, and we quickly found the starting point, scrambling onto the ridge. We continued along until it steepened, at which point the rope came out. The first proper pitch came after the Watch Tower, where El somehow managed to find and climb the mossiest bit of rock available! After that, we walked further up the ridge before stopping for our first lunch of the day.

From there, I led up a superb rib of rock—a full 60 meters of brilliant climbing in an amazing position. The next pitch was El’s, starting up the headwall, which was noticeably steeper than anything we’d tackled so far. I then led the 5a pitch, the first crux of the route, but honestly, it felt much easier—I’d say 4c at best.

After another sandwich, El led us around to the base of The Priest, all while singing the call to prayer. This led us to the 5b pitch—the real crux of the climb. The Priest stood about 2 meters away from the main wall and crack, so I had to bridge across the gap, hands on one side, feet on the other. From this precarious position, I edged along the wall until I was level with the crack, placed a couple of large cams, and committed. Getting my feet across the gap onto the steep wall was nerve-wracking. From there, it was all about hand jamming and working my way up, placing another cam higher up for good measure. It was a proper struggle, but I made it to the top! This was definitely the hardest pitch I’ve climbed so far. El followed, and from there we scrambled another hundred meters or so, including an awkward chimney, to reach the summit.

The views from the top were fantastic, as always. We walked along the ridge until we found the descent gully. About five minutes into the descent, I stepped on a large, unstable boulder that shifted alarmingly. We decided the safest option was to push it down the gully before it became a hazard for anyone else. El checked that the path below was clear, and once safe, I gave it a good shove. Much better to send it down intentionally than have it go unexpectedly on someone later!

We reached the road under Figtree Crag and decided to run down. After a few minutes, I realized running with my bag’s weight was ridiculous, so I left El with the bags and ran a few kilometers down the road to fetch the car. It was great to finish such a big day while there was still daylight, and we drove back to the Kasbah looking forward to a well-earned rest and dinner!