One of the big differences I've discovered between "inside" climbing and outside climbing on gritstone is that the nature of gritstone - lots of wide cracks, minimal jugs - requires a lot more jamming than I've been used to.
Jamming, for the uninitiated, involves putting your hand into a crack and then making a fist, so that your fist fills the crack and provides a wedge that you can use as a hold. You can also jam with just your fingers.
On our first visit to Stanage I wasn't really expecting this, and consequently I floundered on some routes (e.g. Twin Cracks, which frankly scared the wossnames out of me) that technically should be within my abilities.
This time round, however, I was forewarned and forearmed (wince), and used fist-jamming quite comfortably, just like any other technique. As a result, I led a "Severe 4a" route on my first climb of the weekend - Hiker's Crack - with a smile on my face the whole way. Jamming even felt like fun - but it sure takes it's toll on your hands...
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