h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've been doing some proper outdoor climbing. The Peak District people are letting us onto this bit, so my housemate, Thom, and I have gone and climbed up it. I'm impressed with myself for doing a v. diff. (that means very difficult, if you're a non-climber) which Thom had given up on half-way up. Of course when he saw how I did it, he had another go and made it in about two-thirds of the time it took me, but then he's done this sort of thing before.

You were climbing on Stanage? You kept that quiet... which route did you do?

Hey, I only knew about it the day before.

*finds guidebook*

*looks in guidebook*

Let's see, we were in the "Old Salt" area, which is right near the north end. I'm assuming you must know Stanage v. well to ask that, so to start with we entirely failed to climb "Mars" (I would have liked to have done the neighbouring "7% Soln", but it was and HVS)so we moved round the corner (sorry, arrête) to "Balance" and "Twin Cracks".

Hope that makes some sense to you.

*turns to guide book*
Did 'Balance' used to be called 'Quiver'? That's a HVS too...
Ooh Mars, I've done that I think...
*examines picture in book*
At least I think I have, they all seem to look very similar here

*checks book*

Close. In this (admittedly fairly old) book, we have in order from north to south or left to right, Twin Cracks, Quiver, Arrow Crack, Blinkers and then Balance, which is a diff. Mars is a v. diff., but Thom couldn't get anywhere. I tried as well, but not as much as I bowed to his superior climbing knowledge (this was before I'd done Twin Cracks before him).

I suspect this books somewhat older as it just has a big gap there...
Mars is only awkward to start, after the first bit it's not too bad

I have the 1993 edition of a BMC book, you?

Yes, Mars looked rather easy if you could only get started. It was very worn away at the bottom, though.

*is going to do that one day*

*realises that unless he does it in the next two months he will be in Canada and probably forget by the time he returns*

1989

It does look like something I've done but then many of them look the same Course I haven't been up there in ages so I'll have go next time I'm there

I bet yours skips straight from Arrow Crack to Microbe (who let the medical students name them anyway?).

There's a couple of funny-shaped rocks at the top, you'd probably recognise them.

Oh, I wonder if I should point out that we top-roped the climbs; don't know if you think that's cheating.

How often do you climb, then and what's your normal standard?