Page 7 - 2002 AMA Winter

The hybrid walk/ climb through what some felt was an enormous kids playground had us hopping and jumping over fallen trees and clambering over the in-situ ladder labyrinth. Soaked to the skinned we descended back through Pielom Horna'du (Hornet canyon) using trails following the river's edge. With our spirits high we headed back to our base in Kosice.
After the initial taster at the start of the expe­ dition we awaited our return to Koisce with bated breath. The city holds a cosmopolitan air, is sleek and slender and like the mountains is far from humble. Very good food and fine wine came at McDonald's prices, kick starting a night to be remem­ bered! It is no wonder that much of Milan’s catwalk contingent is Slovakian.
One of the most successful days in the Tatras was spent on multi pitch mountain routes. Group 1 climbed Volia Vera’s south west wall, while Group 2 climbed Osarpance s south west wall. Group 1 walked in towards the dominant facing wall at the end of the valley, they then climbed the ridge, 7-pitches graded at UlAA III. After lunch they were ready for the slabs of Staflova. this was graded at UlAA V and was an awesome mountain route. For Group 2 the walk in took an hour and a half. With heavy sacks this proved an adequate warm up for the long day ahead. The first route was a cracking 6-pitch climb covering
every aspect of climbing, from delicate slabs to exhaustive chimneys called the slab of Plsek, graded at UlAA VI. The descent was an exposed abseiled in two stages from fixed bolts. In the afternoon two of the group decided to continue with the guide up the ridge of Osarpadee UlAA III. This consisted of 5/6 pitches, with a mixture of scrambling and climbing with multiple abseils. In this envi­ ronment the use of pitons is common and many of the popular routes have in-situ pitons and bolts. Thanks to certain members of the party that number has significantly increased.
Having to travel back to the UK via one of Europe’s most intriguing capital cities, we thought would be the icing on the cake, the fact that are hotel accommodation was doubled booked meaning that we were upgraded to a four star hotel made us question, ‘could things get any better?’. The answer was yes, sampling the tourist sights by day and the “culture” by night. Some of the main sights attract much attention but are worth queuing and cramming, such as the astronomical clock or the Charles Bridge.
Now back at RMCS, long forgotten are the uncertainties and apprehensions first encountered with Exercise Shrivenham Slovak, hopefully paving the way for future expeditions to discover the country and experience that is Slovakia.
James Moore climbing on Velicka Stena
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