2010 - A Round Up

Thinking back, slightly hungover on the previous year, my first thoughts were that it was a bon year. But i always struggle to remember the finer points, the details and the interesting little aspects that define a year worth describing as interesting. The only way I do this is to re-read blogposts and look at the UKC logbook, thank god for such devices as i'd forget stuff i've done, even really good stuff!
Anyway, 2010 started with a winter route with my bro and then, a uptake of Trad again, mainly at the Leeds local spots like Baildon and Almscliffe. I seem to remember feeling decidedly weak and falling off Moria (E2) at Baildon.

Return to form:

After this we managed to get a brief spell on the Yorkshire Limestone as well, with an extremely dry January and by early March my last winter route was climbed, Moss Ghyll (V, 5) on ScaFell. And by the end of March i was climbing regularly, starting to regain a bit of fitness with a reasonably successful trip to Millstone/Lawrencefield with the MUMC or BUCS or something. I remember climbing Suspense (E2) a route i was apprehensive about in regards to onsighting it... which i did, with ease - which was nice. I also onsighted Satire (E2) an extremely steep, strenuous gritstone route. Quite unique!

Satire E2, Baildon Bank

Moors FA's & Gritstone:

At a similar time we also revisited Ravensdale AKA Stoupe Brow on the moors. This coastal crag, near RobinHoods Bay was in need for further development and a quick trip allowed the ascent and repeat of some of the prominent cracklines, and some work on the 'White Scoop' (E7).

I spent April swanning around soloing places, a lovely evening up at Ogden Clough comes to mind with some quality solos of gritstone micro-routes. I enjoyed it the most i think, because for me, Gritstone is all about micro routes, 6-8m lines which takes gear but whats the point, just spend the evening tootling about, Slipstones, Ogden and the like is what i think of when i think Gritstone.

Seacliffs and Slate:

May saw my first trip to the Sea Cliffs of Wales. Indeed, by first Seacliffe experience. Admittedly i wasn't anywhere near the sea at Gogarth Uppertier but i enjoyed the Strand (E2) and also the funky Failsafe (E2). After this i also climbed one of the best routes i've done on Slate - the German Schoolgirl (E2).

German Schoolgirl (E2) Dinorwig Slate Quarries

Yorkshire Limestone:

After this the weather seemed to pick up and I found myself at the yorkshire Limestone more often, climbing for the first time at Malham and also trad at Kilnsey. It was also this time i discovered that my main climbing partner at Leeds, Ewan, was totally against Sport climbing. This still strikes me as odd seeing as he spends a lot of time 'training' at the Depot, something i can't bring myself to do. Anyhow, we spent a good few days, ticking E2 routes like The Diedre, Crossbones and Sundance Wall. I also did my first sport route on a sweltering day (the same day as the Diedre) at Troller's Gill, some pleasant but short F6c+. Pretty stoked to go back there and do the F7-stuff there. To be honest, i'm pretty psyched for anything on Yorkshire/Cumbria/Peak Limestone as well as Seacliffs and Lakes/Wales Trad. (Just like anyone else really!)

Exam Leave:

I think the end of May/Early June saw me on Exam leave and I was home in Castleton without my standard climbing partner Franco. I ended up getting 'stoked' knowing i needed to climb before the exams and then my 2 weeks of geology fieldwork in Scotland so i, quite uncharacteristically, one foggy/Sea fret Yorkshire day jumped in the car without too much thought and drove over the A66 to Brough to a soloing crag I'd heard of but never been to - Windmore End.  I ended up spending the day soloing limestone micro-routes, in 20degree heat with a beating sun with lush views across the Eden? Valley. Amazing stuff. I also did some of my first E3's for quite some time, admittedly, they were soft i think but micro-soloing is my forte i would say, generally pushing the boat out more than most.

80's Pete / Neckband Crag:

On the way back i had a brain-wave and rang 80's Pete. A lad that i'd never really met from Saltburn. He's stoked and works mornings and such so is often available for climbing. This was a lucky break for me, as he was climbing in the same grade range that I was and was psyched for similar stuff. This meant I could go and get on E1/E2 territory in the Lakes without Franco (rightly) encouraging me to "stop choading around on E2 and get on something 'ard". Anyway, i climbed some stuff i'd wanted to do for ages, Big Dipper/Mirrormere (E2) at Hodge Close Quarry and Asphasia (E2) at Sergeant Slabs.

The big deal for me though was me persauding Pete to go to Langdale and walk to the apparently perma-wet Neckband crag. I'd seen it in the guide, it's got a beautifully draw topo in the Langdale guide, showing the strong lines the crag exhibits and a plethora of stars at E2. I was drueling.

We walked in on a boiling day to this north-facing crag and arrived to a chilly, breeze whipping around it. It was outrageously cold considering what the rest of the country was experiencing!

It didn't matter and we climbed some of the finest stuff i've done. Admittedly i've not really climbed all that many 'uber-classics' but these climbs are certainly deserving of *** especially compared to some of the shite that gets ***. Tracheometry, which is a 'variation' on a 'bitch-of-a-start' E3, is one of the best E2's i've ever, ever done. 45 metre single pitch of amazing overlaps and thin fingerlocks and such.  Razor Crack (E1) is one of the best single pitch lines i've been lucky enough to climb too.Outrageously good or so i thought anyway! If you get the chance you've got to go to Neckband.

With the Alps trip encroaching fast, but with a 2 week loss of time for geology i was really psyched to go to the lakes and do big routes. Franco however, back from Manchester wasn't. He was far more interested in Moorland FA's. The main objective of his, the Kepwick Wall.

I'd never seen it, but we arrived on a windy, cold and dampish day. Setting up a TR we played around on the amazingly hard, tenuous, dynamic, hard, thin, smeary, reachy, balancy, tenuous, hard and death-causing moves. Franco was psyched, i was happy to treat it as training...

While in the Torridonian area mapping I also had a brief foray into the Caves around Inchnadamph which was pleasant relief from the mapping and on our 'day off', i fell ran from Inchna up to Ben More Assynt and Conival which was pretty cool... Awesome area of the country, shame it's in the arse-end of nowhere as i'll probs be reluctant to head back!

The Alps:



We'd always wanted to go to the Alps. Franco had, he went that ill-fated year with Ian Jackson and Luke etc. I had stayed at home, over-cautious about my injured knee. This year however i was more prepared to go and see how it went.

We chose to 'warm up' on the Chamonix Aguillies. These short (long for the UK!) multi-pitch routes up to, around 10 pitches generally, but climbing at our (my) grade was going to be very good stuff!

The weather was boiling. Far too hot i would sweat my way up from Cham to the plan and then carry on up to the Blatiere or the L'M or Peigne to get on a route. It was a month of Very early valley starts, rests on the plan and then routes til the afternoon. Aweseome stuff - the first couple were killers but cable-cars just aren't game (unless they were cheaper...!) 

The routes on the more 'adventurous' peaks were falling down, even at night. It was incredibly hot. Anyhow, we achieved some amazing routes, Menegaux (E1), Majorette Thatcher (E2/3), Verdon Memories (E3/4) into the SW arete of the Peigne and then descending with a doubled 60metre..., Le Ticket et la Lune (E2/3) as well, were all fantastic routes, with great climbing on amazing rock.

 The Majorette - Blatiere

 Plus Lourd Que L'Air

However the weather didn't stay hot. It soon got unsettled, very, very unsettled. The whole of the alps seemed to be in the same boat and for the next 2 weeks we sat around in our shack (eventually moving to a proper shack) and climbing some sport in the valley. I didn't mind this, as i wanted to clip some bolts all year and i managed my first F7a's onsight - or so i thought. It so happens that a F6c+ i onsighted in Costa Blanca has been upgraded so that was nice too see. I also met the talented Will Sim for the first time and some other cool guys like Chris and Sam.

 Verdon Memories

 Verdon Memories

I think my most vivid memory was when we threw caution to the wind and walked up to the Peigne, after an evening of heavy rain. Franco and I were utterly-psyched for Dimanche Noir. F7a slab climbing apparently. 

We climbed up the first pitch and i hung out, ready for a long time hanging on the belay while Franco tenuously onsighted the slab pitch. I wasn't wrong. 

While Franco, picked his way up the slab on tiny white and pink crystal clusters, Sam and Chris were on a line to the left. Chris took a whipper and then began to aid his way up - the banter was hilarious. 

Franco was still slowly and methodically making his way up the line of smears, past some seepage.

The weather rolled in, and we were soon in a cloud. I was shivering like mad and franco was below what he was calling the crux, about 5 metres from the belay. He made it, i don't know how. I seconded, reasonably well at first the smears were outrageously thin but held weight and i soon arrived at the crux. I fell off trying the outrageously contorted rockover/reach thing but some of the 'holds' were damp in the 100% humidity of the cloud. I still don't know how Franco climbed it.

 Shack

In Absentia - F7b

On the rap down we saved Chris who was stood on a tiny, sloping ledge for the past 20 minutes? And we ran back to the tent just before a storm hit. We woke to snow plastering the range (full mixed conditions) and we sat in the tent for 2 days while it snowed and rained.

We ran to Switzerland and went to Giertroz, where we had a good day before a big storm hit. I nearly onsighted In Absentia F7b, failing at the last clip. Franco O/S it and we both thought it was one of the best routes we've done.

Returning from the Alps, lighter, stronger and psyched Franco and I went moors FA hunting. We achieved some good stuff at Round Crag, with Fresh Arete, Vampiric Obsession and some other stuff around and about.

http://davidwarburton-climbing.blogspot.com/2010/08/headpointing-highs-and-impressive.html

http://davidwarburton-climbing.blogspot.com/2010/09/le-pinnacle-de-choad.html

After the moors episode i climbed with Ralph for the first time, climbing some quality stuff at Tremadog, (Grasper E2, Void E3) and also some great stuff at Gogarth with Supercrack (E3) and Quartz Icicle (E2). Also the beautful but short Phagocyte (HVS)

Great back end of the year but soon Uni work got too much and then i tried bouldering and pulled a finger tendon and i've not climbed for months since really! Weak, yes probably but i don't know yet - i haven't climbed for ages!

Rosedale Ice - or not.

Decided to head around to the waterfall in a gully opposite the Lion Inn Pub at the head of Rosedale Valley. Franco was seeing family or sommet, so I asked me dad if he fancied a bosh around from the pub with the dogs. He agreed.
We made good time through the often knee deep snow occasionally finding nice Neve or raised vegetation but ultimately it's not too bad. The dogs found it hard going jumping through chest deep powder and i'm looking at one of them totally flat out, knackered.

It was warm, the car reckoned -5 on the way up but it didn't feel it. Though the cloud was building and it was nearly midday. After about 50 minutes, i think?, we arrived at the 'icefalls'.

Unfortunately the main fall isn't very big or very well iced. It's sides were made up of terraced ice that didn't look especially entertaining. To the left of the fall however was the most perfect steep slab of Neve. The powder was getting drenched by the water and had frozen to a bomber, Scottish-like Neve. I jugged up on that for the craic and then slid back down and searched out the Ice on the right side of the Falls.

There was one wall, hidden in a little alcove that seemed to be a well frozen mossy wall. I climbed up it directly, escaping left at the very top to get better frozen turf. It was quite enjoyable actually, on soft ice and rock hard turf/moss placements. Sustained III i would suspect?
After that, i found a slanting parrallel crack with a drift below. I had a play M7? i reckon it would be, got a few torques and a horizontal crack up it and found an old wooden wedge. Clearly someone had been climbing this in the summer way-back-when. Anyhow, i didn't fancy committing to it so pulled my axes out and dropped into the snow below. Which was harder than it first appeared.

On the way back to the path, dad spotted a thinly iced slab. It looked good, if a little slabby but the very thin ice allowed for some technical, soft hitting ice climbing. It was actually quite enjoyable.

I wandered back to dad and we made the, funnily, less grueling walk back to the pub (which was slightly uphill the whole way). The dog packed in 2/3 of the way back after he spent his last energy catching a rabbit. He managed to drag himself to the car though, good lad.

Nice walk out, certainly not worth the walk around for the climbing, considering the around at Round Crag is better. The ice wasn't perfect, possibly because the tempt was -1 when we got back to the car, there did seem to be a lot of unfrozen water about and that. Worth taking your axes though if you're planning on walking around that way i would say though, just for a bosh around.

Lets hope it either getting sodding cold again OR begins to melt the snow in the day and then freeze at night, if that happened there would be some amazing ice as most buttresses have good cornice-style accumulations above.


27th of December:

Currently much warmer, hovering around the freezing mark with fairly consistant snow fall currently, though earlier it was raining. I would say, judging by the quality of the ice yesterday the thaw started yesterday and has affected what ice there is.
Certainly worth leaving well allone and, with a bit of luck and some freeze/thaw there could be some really impressive stuff in a weeks time.

Moors Ice hunting

Went hunting for some more moors ice and found it at Blakey. Some good but small stuff, made a short video.

Of particular note was a column of ice, which was located just to the left of the Round Crag Pinnacle. As well as this there was a few small mixed lines and some technical thin ice smears. A few of the 'taller' corners up turf and ice were nice at a lower grade too.

Some cornices and windslab with potential to fly down a boulder strewn hill so, amazingly, take care near the hill edges and top outs.

Enjoy.


Round Crag/Blakey Ridge Ice climbing. from Dave Warburton on Vimeo.

Lakes trip and Moors Ice hunting at Fryup.

I met up with Franco and headed to the Lakes, interested to have a few days there before Christmas. We drove over to -10 temps and was stoked to go to Scrubby. We woke up early and drove to Deepdale and walked up to the crag, on route the snow was varying from powder to neve. There was plenty of ice on show but when we could see the crags, Hutaple, Greenhow End and eventually Scrubby we could see they clearly were black. It was wintery but there had been no precipitation for a couple of days and non of it had stuck to the buttresses.
I was happy to get on anything, Franco wanted to try the open groove of Hrothgar (HVS) as an FA but we knew it wasn't in condition. Non of the mixed routes were, but Heorot top pitch was forming which is worth bearing in mind.
I started up the lower amplitheatre towards the ledge of Hrothgar, up some variable Ice and steep turf but we eventually decided to move together rightwards and we came to the crux of Pendulum Ridge (III,4). Franco wasn't really fussed but i fancied climbing it, he was happy to just solo about but i wanted to climb it properly.
Franc lead up the steep wall on hooks and then belayed and i followed, it felt quite hard really to mantle rightwards onto the ledge to the in-situ wire. After this I lead up rock and turf but noticed Franco was following up and we just soloed to the top. It's pretty sustained steepness for III. It felt very IV,4 to me, with a nearly 5 move on the crux wall, unless we did it wrong. We got on the line just before a couple of parties turned up and they were still on the crux as we were walking back down to Deepdale proper. Worth doing but i must say, Portcullis Ridge (further up Deepdale) is very similar in terms of steep turf and then a protectable crux (IV,4/5)which is slightly out of character, it's just as good so if you've done Pendulum Ridge, go do Portcullis Ridge next.

We returned to the hut and then decided we were better off just heading home, Black Crag Ice fall looks like its forming well from a distance. The following morning it hadn't snowed so we packed and left. I was sort of interested in wandering to do something on the Helvellyn range but the walk in / good climb ratio wasn't really in our favour, the only VI we know of is up on Cock Cove. I was also interested in trying the lakeland icefalls, but Honister is a long way away, Shoulthwaite Gill was apparently thin and i'm not really into Ice so i wouldn't want to punter around spoiling someone elses day.

We ended up heading back to the Moors and arriving back at Lunchtime, we unpacked had a relax and then head out on a 'dog walk' to check out Fryup Head Ice falls. There  was a lot of ice around but it wasn't really up to much, generally hanging off moss and heather that overhangs the cliffs. Dodgy territory.

The main waterfall at Fryup isn't frozen yet but if it does, it would be a great II/III. The left hand steeper version is frozen but needs thickening up before either of us fancy leading. Next up, roads clearing dependant of course, might be a trip to Saltburn sea-ice cliffs. Cool. If not, fancy checking out if the slight water falls at Hob Hole or Danby Crag have managed out...

 Fryup dale Water fall. Ice formed on left but main not so. Red from Iron leaching.

 Icicles of death. Hanging from overhanging turf

 Cool Moon-rise. Taken on a 4 sec. lapse held in hand so a bit shaky



Thank You BMC

(Click to Enlarge!)

Thanks to the BMC, Choad Hall was lavishly fed with sandwiches after the BMC Yorkshire Area meet. However, as well as their fine dining, they also provide high quality literature. As well as a host of other things that i can't quite put my finger on? Insurance or bolting, something like that anyway.
Theres a few other jokes someone with a keen eye may be able to spot. Enjoy.

Early season pleasantry

The North York Moors got a dumping of snow, but the rest of north England didn't seem to have received the same degree of snowiness.
Anyway, a bit of blog searching and Huw was keen to head to the Lakes, being aware that the snow was easterly and a few hopeful blog photos, we decided that the pretty standard venue of Helvellyn was worth a punt for a early morning bash from Leeds.
Conor, eager to climb his first Winter climbs, picked Huw and I up at 4.15am and we headed up the A660 to the Lakes. Arriving at the foot of Helvellyn, at about 7.45am. It was beautifully white and just starting to glow a bright orange.

As this was a very first hit of this season, and Huw and Conors winter climbing was limited at best ! :-), I was happy to 'punter' around! Enjoyable climbing it was and well worth the gamble from Leeds.
We racked up, with standard first trip glitches like a loose anti-balling plate and overheating on the walk in. We decided, that seeing it was the first trip of the season, we'd start at the obvious central gully. Gully 2, grade I.
I don't think i've ever done a grade 1 before, the first route we did last year was a FA of 'Crazy Torque'  which was meant to be a grade II but we decided the big corner crack/roof looked to inviting! But Gully 2 was supplied with frozen turf, great neve and Ice patches. Actually, the whole face is well iced and the ice is reasonably good quality. A great warm up, with some 'Steck' style running on the upper neve. Bliss.

Anyway, we topped out on Conors first winter route and he was 'buzzing', so we walked to the summit, seeing as the gully tops out there! and then carried on to walk down Swirral Edge, and off back to the base of Red Tarn Cliffs.

Viking Buttress. IV, 5. 

Gully 2. Grade I. 

Next up, V Corner. A grade III, classic reputation and we pretty quickly soloed up to the corner and Conor, very psyched, despatched the pitch with relative ease. A good effort from the winter 'novice'. Duck to water and that.

After this we had a sit around and eat and drink, I then fancied climbing something 'tricky' which i decided would be a toss up between Viking Buttress(IV,5) and Blade Runner (IV,4). Anyway, people began to amass at the crag, as the day progressed and for whatever reason, i didn't decide to get on Viking Buttress and went for the icy groove of Bladerunner.

 Gully 1, with the groove of 'Blade Runner' IV, 4 on the left.

 The initial groove was a little tricky on thinnly plated rock and a pinnacle of ice to stand on. I found no gear here and 'fiddled' for a about 5 minutes wondering whether i should back off. I decided to 'commit' as the moves looked good and i managed to make a further move to gain a crack where i stacked a couple of hexes and hammered them in. Good.
The next series of moves through the bulge are great, with a giant full axe torque you could hang a donkey off, then with much more gear, carried on up to the top bulge, which is negotiated with a cool seqence of bridging. A brilliant 45m pitch in my opinon and i was happy to see it received another ascent that day. Well worth doing!
After this, we chilled out again, then headed up to solo, Gully number 1. A grade II. However, during the day, the neve had begun to lose it's bite and the turf it's solid texture. We went up anyway as it was certainly still climbable, but it was trickier than II, in my opinion, the corner wasn't banked out with neve as i'd seen photos of, and the groove was plated with very thin verglass and slightly unfrozen turf. Anyway, myself and huw continued and topped out on Helvellyn for a 4th time. We were tired after our 4am start and decided to head home at 2.30pm after a fully successful day.

 Huw and Conor and fellow climber on Gully 1.

Huw on the central section of 'Gully 1'

Tricky maneuvoirs in 'Gully 1'

So, Helvellyn is certainly 'in'. The only route i saw that wasn't in was 'Rape and Pillage' which was bare, but looked hard to start.
The view of the rest of the lakes was bare. The western hills were white but not overly so, other than the Helvellyn range, the Fairfield Gullies looked snow filled, so definitely potential for neve in them, if not now then in the future. The rock over Deepdale way looked black though, unfortunately.

The conditions deteriorated during the day, as you'd expect. Not to any bad state, but the early morning was rock solid and blissfully quiet, we had the entire crag to ourselves.

A nice start to the season, with some nice lines ticked and a good day of gaining and losing and gaining height, good for training and such like i guess.

Grit Bouldering (Burbage and Baildon)

I decided to try and embrace this aspect of climbing seeing as it's getting colder now. We ventured to Burbage, as Huw has a knackered hand and fancied somewhere to go easy soloing. I was quite stoked to 'see what i could boulder' so decided Burbage would be ok.
Myself and Ewan quickly flashed 'Banana Finger' V3- but then found that the direct wasn't very appealing - the prospect of shinning yourself hardly makes one KEEN.

I then wandered over to the Burbage South boulders, i found a nice little steep rounded rib, on a boulder down and left of 'sheep'?? block. The guide i had, gave it B7, font 7a/7a+?? anyway, it started with feet on a ledge and crimped up to a wierd pocket and then, hopefully a big hole.

Eventually i found how to start, using a double knee bar and reach, but found i couldn't campus up to the pocket as my feet kept hitting the adjacent block. I eventually just did it, trailing a leg onto the block. No tick, but nice enough moves.
Me and Ewan then tried 'the sheep'? V5ish, up discontinuous cracks. Unfortunately, i found the topout slippy and then burst a tip!

I put my finger bursting down to the hard bouldering a week ago at Ravenswick, as my fingers were not 100% weirdly all week, they seems to have bloodblisters underneath. Anywho, i wandered back to the car slightly dissolutioned and disappointed that my attempts at embracing such an aspect of climbing backfired. Oh well, i'll try again sometime... I'm pretty keen for Bridestones, Slipstones and maybe Earl Crag bouldering??? To be honest, i'd like to do some Limestone bouldering in Yorkshire - any areas anyone knows of?!


ADDITION:

After a few days off, my tips recovered and everyone went to Tremadog for the weekend. With work and limited psyche i stayed at home. After discovering Twig (Andrew Harvie) had a day off, we arranged to go somewhere local, and with the foggy weather i decided Baildon would be a good bet. It was ok, warm and damp but we were able to a have a couple of hours messing around.

 We warmed up on 'The Mantle' - V5/Font 6c**. An entertaining struggle that i managed 3rd go.

We then tried 'Without Moon' which looked good in a photo i'd seen of it. It has a knacky starting move and then a very, very large jump for the top rail. I tried to jump but i don' think massive jumps are my thing, and at Font 7a+ i'm guessing it's going to be reasonably hard!
Anyway, after this it began to rain and then Middlesbrough were beaten 0-1 by Millwall. Nevermind! I am however re-psyched to try Swingover (E3) and Wombling Wall (E4) as they both looked achieveable again.