A Blowy Blakey Project Sesh

It was a windy Saturday. The weather has been pretty iffy recently, with low cloud clag and occasional drizzle. Either way, we knew if the wind picked up then Hillhouse Nab would clear up straight away and to there we ventured with a couple of mats each.

I 'found' Hillhouse Nab last year while oft wandering around Blakey after driving home from work in Scarborough. I soloed the exquisite (if i do say so myself) arete which went at about E4 5c ***. Pretty bold but not very long and after the start all on fairly decent holds. It's a strange buttress. Perfect moorland sandstone, awesome holds and moves and it would certainly 'just' be a bouldering venue above flat pasture - but alas, it's perched above steep ground.

The concentrated gem that is Hillhouse Nab

On my first visit I also shunted the arete into the hanging scoop - I wanted this line and also was aware of a direct which I made a mental note of thinking would be right up Franco's street. Last month, it was apparent it was right up Cookson's street, when he soloed the main wall starting just left of centre and attacking it with lank and guile. Present Perfect E7 7a *** was born and he noted that a super direct was also available.

So we both had projects in mind as we approached. I was more interested in Present Perfect than my arete to groove climb, but I quickly found it super reachy and crimpy powerfulness... I couldn't do it. So while Franco slid off down the hillside a couple of times from the nails start of the super direct I shunted the top section of the groove. A strange transitions between overhanging and slabby, on smears for feet and crimps for fingers. Enjoyable climbing to say the least.

I managed to do lots of moves and but felt far from wired. However, it's a strange line to shunt and Franco was asleep after completing his super direct; which adds a 7a/7b move to the start! Fucking nails! I couldn't top rope it either as a result, so I decided i'd just go for it and hope for the best. I new I could do the crux so provided the starting moves didn't impact on my strength or unchalk my tips then i'd be OK...

Up the arete for a couple of metres before stretching left to juggy crimps. The feet are fairly abysmal, so toe hooking around the arete bounce out to another flat crimp... I near fell off this move but it wouldn't have been too serious. From here you replace your toe higher up the arete feeling quite horizontal and go for a sloper with left...'Fall through' to get your foot on a smear, deadpoint a sidepull crimp and then stand up from over hang to slab to reach the top off a very insecure smear. Woops abound.

Hillhouse Nabbb from Dave Warburton on Vimeo.

Committed through the roof heel-hooking a smear

We left and bumped into Sam Marks and chums on the walk back to the car. We decided to go and take a look at the Duck Roof. A project of Sams, which we'd visited a couple of times but i'd yet to pull on at all. Franco had always been fairly close and it was a bit of an annoying route which we wanted to tick off the list of Moors FA's still to do! With our four pads plus one additional small pad, Franco carefully climbed the slightly damp roof taking a few jump offs. I also got involved for the first time and surprised myself with the reach through the roof. Unfortunately though, i was beyond total stretch and so was completely immobile when trying to reach through to the higher crimps... Too hard basically! Franco nailed it on his 3rd go a solid ground up effort with no cleaning, at a grade of E6 6c **... Safe to jump off, but don't fall!

Loons

Thruscross & Hawks Stones (aka Hugencroft)

Suffering from an apparent bout of Swine Flu, I felt somewhat under the weather this weekend. Even so, it was dry, if a little misty. I really needed to get myself back up to Hugencroft to have a look at the trad but I just couldn't be arsed to drive out beyond Halifax and so chose somewhere far closer.

Thruscross is a crag i've been to twice before. I'd climbed everything of note, as far as I was aware with the exception of Rewind, E6 6c *. This is a John Dunne solo, climbing the dual arete on the right of the impressive Thruscross boulder. I knew it was fairly OK with pads, though not fully 'safe' with a few rocks and uneven landing to add a bit of spice.

I turned up to a damp, seepy crag with my two pads... Balls. I wandered back to the car to get my shunt rope and had an abseil down the line. The wet was residual, not seepy, and I could tell it was starting to dry so I got my towels and chalk and started to repeated towel dry the various obvious holds. The climbing looked pretty interesting but fairly readable I thought.

Anyway, I slipped off the start twice, before eventually getting stood up on the break. A couple of damp, slippery slaps and I was on a good undercut/sidepull thing. Crimp - smear - lurch to top hold. Yes. A quality sequence and most unlike lots of gritstone routes in so much as it has good holds! I topped out and disturbed a Barn Owl (Which i'm positive happened to me last time I topped out on this boulder!)... Fortunately while i was packing up below the Owl swooped back into its lair.

Brill problem, probably font 6c/7a ish and still felt spicy with two pads. Would be a good route to add to the list of highball routelets where you turn up with a bunch of mates and pads.


The Sunday was more organised and this time i did get my arse to Hawks Stones. I shunted the majority of the trad lines at the crag. Rams Head Slab is a chipped central route on the slab at the far right of the crag. It is easy on chips up to a blind flake and zero friend. Then rock left twice to finish up the slab. Felt bold at E3 5c or so but you could stand and get rescued from any move I think. There was another line which started similarly up to the pocket, before moving up the groove and then out right to the arete to a junction with Pulse Racer (E6 6c **). A strange climb, obviously on solo it felt full E6 6a, but i'd have probably graded it E5 6a to lead with the zero friend -  However that would then require routes like Walk With Me upgrading - so I decided this was probably E4 6a - unless this was Rams Head Slab !!

I shunted Eagles Nest, which was green and slippery in the crack, so no soloing that one! An impressive route which actually isn't a horrendous sandbag - its a good HVS 5b *** and deserves to get some attention! Trending left from the base of the crack, again on chips, is a solo finishing up the left headwall. I decided this was probably no harder than 5b or 5c. I think I gave it the grade of E3 5c but it is probably E3 5b on rethink and retrospectively called it Chips and Gravy...

The direct to this is Not My Stile E4 6a. A good addition straight up on pockets and crimps joining the previous route at the start of the old chips, soloing above a wooden stile - great landing!

I couldn't set up a rope down Walk With Me as it was windy as hell on the tops, so I went to try the very cool highball on the left side which again I couldn't quite do. More pads, colder conditions!

Great crag, lots to do there now its at least half documented. Hopefully a few people will check it out in favour of digging out more holds at Kebs.

A weekend on the Moors - Video.

I didn't make it home this weekend, so had to endure the torment of knowing the driest cragging in Britain was being enjoyed to the full by Franco, Neil and Mark. Looks like they had fun!

Escaping The Rains - Into The Moors from Franco Cookson on Vimeo.

Tarn Hole & High Crag

Franco and I walked up to High Crag to check our progress on Australia Crack... It's possible but it'll be mighty hard! I had a project in mind up at Tarn Hole, something highball i'd previously not committed too. The line breaks left through steepness from a junction with A Reach Too Far (E4 6b ***) and probably adds a notch or two to both of those grades with a guess of E5 6c.

E5 6c * - Excellent steep moves

Slopey boldness

The landing isn't great, but we did have a couple of pads. Some great heel-based moves on slopers, crimps and pockets. Not too high but not bouldering really either - or not enjoyable bouldering in any case! The wind was a bit harassing like.

A Reach Too Far - E4 6b ***

Brilliant moves

We finished the day with some bouldering and it's all in the video below... enjoy.

Tripsdale - worthy of a guidebook of its own from Dave Warburton on Vimeo.

Turbulent Cascade - Thorgill

A project of mine for about a year. I stuck a stake in and shunted the line a while ago but it was a tad damp and I considered it a bit bold to just 'do'. However a windy day suited an East facer and I asked if we could return to polish this 'back of the mind' climb off. Franco was psyched to look at Parochial Direct which i'm also pretty stoked for.

Parochial Master

It didn't take long to remember the sequence and get ready. It was still damp but only on the 'E2 5a' section at the top so I was happy to go for it. It starts on two small crimps, from where a big span out right leads to a good hold. From here smeary feet allow a second big reach and hold match above a landing which doubles the distance you fall due to its steepness. At this point you can get a small cam in, which while not being excellent is certainly OK. An easy step right then gains the arete. This is unfortunate, if the line forged away direct up the wall it would be * or ** but it just doesn't it rocks right and up the easy but bold arete and groove you finish. There is a ferny ledge to the right but it's a 'hollow' ledge! It just sort of bridges the gap in a strange chimney.

I called it Turbulent Cascade, as that's what I envisage if you fluff the crux and fall down the steep gully landing! All in all certainly not the best route i've put up but that's definiately not to say it isn't good! We're just finding some absolute gems at the moment...  it was strange it felt almost old school, a bit like some of the harder solo lines from the previous generations like Moonflower or Peel Out etc etc.

Turbulent Cascade E6 6a - Thorgill from Dave Warburton on Vimeo.

  

The Basstard & Turbot Charger - More Smugglers Terrace additions

Franco and I escaped the brisk westerly down at the Terrace. It's absolutely perfect this time of year, the bracken is down and its warmer than being out in the wind. Franco had cleaned the central wall of Illusion Buttress - This buttress means a lot to Franco and I as it was this that we first spotted when walking along the cliff top years ago. However, early development focused on the crags to the left.

Illusion Buttress

I'd previously developed a lot of the lower grade stuff with the best route to date being A Plaice Lost in Time E3 5c **. After a quick shunt by Franco, while I soloed a couple of new additions near the walk down at E4 6a and E1 5a. Both of these need properly cleaning as i had to yard on a rope to top out...

Cross bedding

Cross bedding

Anyway, Franco lead the central wall. Easy moves lead past a 6a undercutting move to good gear. From here a 6b sequence on crimps deposits you at a crimpy seam from where, athletic feet raising allow a huge reflexing rock over which allows you to grab a juggy rail! It's a massive move, but you're not going to hit the ground so you can go ground up on it! So I did, and I failed miserably. Disillusioned I tried to TR the line and couldn't touch it, so i worked quickly a traverse right along the seam (which was the line i'd originally envisaged as i presumed the direct would be nails....).

Wave ripples

I got psyched and lead it quite quickly, with only a minor scare coring my feet up on to the arete towards the end. Another fun E5 or so, which is safe with the small cams in the break. I want to get some photos of these two climbs... I'm also going to upload this again at higher res and with better music...

The Basstard & Turbot Charged - Smugglers Terrace Additions from Dave Warburton on Vimeo.

Maiden's Bluff - Another new venue on the coast!

The coast is a treasure trove for the North York Moors climbing scene... Boulby bouldering, Stoupe Brow, Smugglers Terrace and now near the village of Goldsborough harbours a crag unlike any other on the 'Moors'. A collection of natural sea craglets and just off vertical slabby quarry faces... akin you might say to Pex Hill (but not urban). Matt Ferrier was the first of our group to get reconnaissance on the area and his time spent came up trumps.

Franco has been there a fair bit, just cleaning and shunting stuff. The rock is scrittly, but it soon cleans up and the main quarry wall provides 8m solos on crimps, pockets, nubbins, smears and usually involves 'popping' for a break at the top of the wall - exciting!

Maidens Bluff - Looking slightly more slabby than it is...

After a couple of days getting more samples for my ongoing university work, I dropped in on sunny afternoon to meet up with Franco. It faces East, so it doesn't get the sun during the day, but this means the conditions were grand. The easiest line on the wall climbs up a series of pockets on the left hand side. A tricky start deposits you at some juggy pockets. A lovely set of moves jugging between these pockets allows a scary rock over on a crimp and mono to be made and thus the top to be gained. There is gear, though its in a slightly hollow pocket. We both elected to solo the line which is excellent and weighs in somewhere around the E5 6b mark - quite tricky but hopefully it will clean up nicely with time and repeats! It was an absolute joy to climb this route!

The tech. 6c/7a routes are all wicked. I shunted a couple which I reckon i'll be able to solo at some point but may have to become long term projects. It's not all going to be in the mid to high E grades either, some easier lines could be achieved, plucked from the cliffs high above the North Sea.