Beowulf round 2

Grant P , Sunday 7th January, 2024 8:50PM

* The drive was uneventful with icy sections having snow packed over them. Only issue was driving out and going down into the double hill Dip, braking made for sliding. River Crossing mild, barely any ice shelves, and even icy ramps were ok. * Approach still a stumble but ok. * Was expecting it to be colder so left late hoping the midday sun would soften the climb. Gearing up in the sun was gorgeous with pretty much no wind. Surprisingly the first step was calving off large ice blocks with many swings. Figured if the main part was fracturing as bad then I'd retreat. Although there was a little fracturing it was mostly good climbing. Climb was dry and snow sat on most small ledges. Sufficient little ledges to grab a rest. There were a couple of those clear tubes showing running water inside. Not too steep until the upper part of the main pillar. Ice was a little featured and had a clear tube. That led into the narrows. This gets wider as it bulks out during the season but is currently a bit of a squeeze, barely shoulder width chimney. The ice is not too well formed. Ok for tools but doubt you'd get a screw in the narrows. You should be able to place screws below the narrows though I think. I apologise but one tool placement unleashed a little gusher. It seemed to drain mostly to climbers right side of the climb and could form some chandelier. However if it forms better ice than on the left, I'll accept beers 😂 * After reaching the top of P1 there is a deep pool open and awaiting your swim. Looked deep, about 3-4m beyond the P1 rap station. Having forgotten my swim shorts I decided round 2 with Beowulf made me tied a round each. I did not see a fracture from a week or so ago and did not see the old V-thread. Worth noting that the rap anchor at the top was easy to reach, but the one at the halfway ledge was above my reach. Hooking the anchor and holding a tool while threading the rope through may have been the crux for me. Enjoy all you long legged mofos who can just reach up and thread the rope. * After rapping down it started feeling colder as if the temp was dropping. The road seemed to have a bit more snow accumulated but at the base of the climb it was only 2-3cm of new snow. * Also Angel Eyes had more ice than often typical. Looked steep and the nature of the ice could make protection challenging but maybe this week's polar vortex will help fatten it. I'd expect the -20 to -30c temps incoming may fatten things up a bit but Beowulf and other climbs are likely to become very brittle. I'm happy to have found it in good shape today.