Vermork bridge- cold conditions and hot aches.

Today we decided to head to the vermork bridge area as me and Ed were wanting to bag the classic line of vermorkbrufoss vest WI5 3 star, we also wanted to check out the new ice park that the climb inn had established on the opposite side of the gorge using water pipes to form new ice lines where previously there were none.

unfortunately for us (if you see it that way) as we were checking out the surrounding climbs in preparation for the main tick, water started pawing down the main route we wanted to do, so we had to look to a new route (gutted).

We decided to do a route on the rjukan climb inn ice park side of the gorge, from the bottom it looked like a simple line up a steep wall to a ramp and then finding your way through undulating ice formations to the top.

On completing the first wall section of the route which was really bobbly and the ice in cliffs words " was like per-specs plastic" Which I agreed with, felt really dodgy.
The next ramp felt like I was climbing on a bath tub, every axe placement and crampon echoed with a eerie thud which didn't fill me with confidence.

The next section of the wall was not like anything I had climbed out here in rjukan, It felt really artificial and the formations of the ice looked all most like coral. Weird hollow tongues of ice and the sketchiest hooks I've ever used got me finally to the top of the route, once at the top and clipped in to an anchor my left foot got hot aches (if you've had it you'll understand) I then brought cliff up the route and once he got closer his face sed it all. It was a really spooky lead, as you did every move you weren't sure if it would hold.

Cliff didn't like it on second but I really enjoyed it as the higher I got the scarier it got( good times ).
At the top of the route cliff got hot aches that bad that afterwards he sed he was nearly sick. Me and richly were wetting our selves while cliff sang to impressed.

Next was Ed and once he had reached the top of the route he hastily ran off up the hill to the car to nurse his hot aches in the private.

Needless to say everyone didn't need much convincing to get the hell out of there and go for a coffee and cake at the local cafe/bakery.once warmed up again we got provisions (wine and pasta sauce) and went back to the digs, on arriving back we met to climber at the huts which we had met at krokan a few days earlier. After a brief exchanges of stories we invited them round for a drink after we had got our selves together and the rest is history.

Tomorrow we are back in the lower gorge and hopefully no one will be on Swiss army and there are a few other routes I've got my eye on.

Happy camping!!!!!!!!!

Video http://youtu.be/3SY2F9XHRbA