Jersey Climbs

What is Jersey Climbing?

By Kevin Davey

At last, a new guidebook for Jersey! It has been some twelve years since the last one and climbing has continued to flourish on 'the rock'. People come and go, and come back again. New routes go up, and as is the nature of sea cliffs, the odd one comes down. Climbing life trundles on, even in this quiet English backwater.

We may not have the awesome crags of Yosemite, the 'Grit' of 'up North', the boulders of Fontainebleau or the bolted routes of the current popular Euro sports crag, but this never dampens the imagination of local and visiting climbers. Jersey climbing is special in many other ways. It is an alchemic mix of the elements: rock, sea, sky and people. The light has a particular vibrant hue, especially in the afternoons, showing off the beautiful pink/orange granite at its best. The timeless tranquillity, the way the crags accept your presence and yet ignore you at the same time. Even the shape and form of each face and pillar is individual and magical to those who see them.

The world can be a crowded place and Jersey is no exception, but the crags are, more often than not, empty of people. This peacefulness also helps to make Jersey climbing unique. But, Jersey climbing, for me, is just as much about the friendships and laughter I have had over the years. It has been the chance to explore an island, that although less than 50 miles square, seems much bigger, emptier and more peaceful when viewed from the crags.

It is about the quickening of the pulse and the lightening of spirit as you walk in for a day of climbing and the smell of rock, sweat and sea salt on your skin on your way out. I have seen both easy and near suicidal traditional climbing, multi-pitch routes on the Pinnacle, bouldering, soloing and deep (ish) water soloing and aid climbing - even the kind when you actually intend to pull on that runner.

I have even heard of someone dry tooling over here, the less said about that the better! As with climbers the world over, we still have that feeling of doing something special and something new. Making the moves, watching others having fun or having an epic, totally absorbed in their thing - all aspects of climbing which make it the sport for us. Some days we push our limits and others just chill.

Having climbed in many places all over the world I have always come back and looked forward to the next time I am out on my home rock. Despite the moaning and griping I will be out there, even in the depths of winter, feet flailing and hands useless, because Jersey is the essence of climbing.

Climbing in Jersey has provided a montage of memories of perfect days, un-crowded cliffs and great climbing, regular dips in the sea to cool off and retiring to the pub at the end (of course). All this in the knowledge that we can go climbing again tomorrow: in our own, special, playground by the sea.

This is Jersey climbing. Enjoy the rock and have fun.