Name of a
climb on
Inishmore. Its grade is
E4 6a. About half way along the island where the cliffs reach their maximum height a rock ledge juts out from the top of the cliff. It reaches out about 6 meters, it is 1 meter thick and about 8 meters wide. The impressive thing is that there is an 80 meter drop into the sea below. This slab is fractured in the middle. You can dangle protection into the crack so that when you climb the route the gear is preplaced. Its like
sport climbing for traditionalists. The climb does not start at the bottom of the cliff but rather at one side of the slab. You scoot out until you reach the crack and then you climb with your feet and hands in the
crack in an attempt to reach the lip. At one point I rested my arms by dangling upside down from my feet which were firmly jammed in the crack. Looking doen the 84 meters to the sea below was an amazing experience. I was hoping that the slab would would not choose that day to break off into the sea below.
There is a photo from about 50 years ago showing people standing on the slab, the nice thing about this photo is that the slab looks the same (at least nothing has broken off in the last half century).
The hardest part of the climb is getting established in the crack, after that its just about brute strength. I got to the lip but my arms gave out. When I fell I found myself dangling about 3 meters below the slab in free space. I had to be hauled back into the cliff. It was worth the entire weekend over on the island just to try that one route.
I have a photo of it on my homenode.