18th January,2020. Leading two novices up crotched gully (grade 2). I set off up our first pitch after simul climbing the bottom half of the route,dimly aware of a pair above me, one engaged in some sort of Dave Macleod antics on a different route above, whilst the other enjoyed a chilly belay. I continue to huff up the route, held back by rope drag and my bad dietary decisions over christmas,still somewhat confused by the shards of ice falling on me from the belaying climber who appears stationary. 10 minutes of huffing later I arrive at the stance praying for something to chuck my hexes into,but any cracks I could see where as flared as a georgians trousers. Thankfully, the belaying climber spins around and cheerily points to a crack next to him which he has spent the last 10 minutes completely clearing for me whilst simultaneously belaying his partner. Two bomber wires and a powerpoint later life is good. Moral of this very long and convoluted tale that will probably be removed is a massive thank you to that happy climber from the lakes who gave me VIP treatment on what could have been a bit of a dodgy pitch. My faith in humanity has been strengthened, and I now expect nice clear cracks provided for me whenever I happen to be leading winter routes across Scotland in the near future.
Cheers!