I had just moved to a new apartment in early March 2020 when the climbing gyms closed, and we were ordered to stay at home. I put up my beastmaker hangboard in the study and avoided seeing people and climbing outside with them. In April we were allowed to climb outside again, and I was keen to avoid the crowds that would undoubtedly be gathering at the usual spots. So I set out exploring for new climbing.
One Saturday I was out bouldering with my family, when I decided to explore the surrounding forest in a random direction. I walked down a riverbed, with walls on either side, growing in size as I went along. Eventually I came across a beatiful arete, and on the spot I decided that I would have to buy a drill, so I could bolt and climb it.
A beautiful and pure stand-alone arete - the arched topout section is hiding behind the trees from this angle…