Round Crag - Repeats and more...

Round Crag appears to be my 'go to' crag for a psyche shot in the arm. I've not been for a while and only really fancy Scut de Scun ai (E7), mainly as I dislike the landing of Pippi (E6) which can be attempted highball style (lower section anyway). Anyhow, recently Sam and Matthew plugged a couple of gaps with some good looking solos.

Vampiric Recession, E3 5c*, climbs the wall right of Vampiric Obsession (E5). It always looked worth doing, but I had not bothered with it and was pipped to the post by the lads. They also established a quick solo up the left arete of the unclimbed northside area of the pinnacle; this arete is Idle Ignorance, E2 5c.

Arriving at the crag I warmed up, then soloed Idle Ignorance. It's a short solo above a hole-ridden landing. I climbed up to some crimps then rocked rightwards around the arete onto a smear. I was pretty stuck in this position and sat here on my toe for some time above the much lower ground away from the ledge. Bricking one's pants, I stood up and finished the climb off. It felt E4 5c! I knew I must have climbed the route differently to the lads as they'd not mentioned it being quite so necky... I quickly set a rope up and re-shunted the line, this time staying left of the arete. This made more sense actually and I was a bit miffed I didn't climb it 'properly' first time. A dodgy landing and probs E2 5b/c, however a pad would make this a good little highball so worth a punt I reckon.

Now fully happy the lads were not infact sandbagging, I quickly abseiled down to check the top of Vampiric Recession. Matthew had a comment on this blog saying something about "pulled on loose heather which came out but another solid part held!". I decided to see if I could clean the top, but unearthed a decent bush root and also a couple of blocks which are solid. Good! I cleaned the holds, including a few smaller very dirty holds which obviously weren't used on the FA. Starting from the ledge, the route is instantly serious in feel. Some nice holds lead to a standing position on the initial hand holds and then, a rather cool crux at height leads into the root and rock top out. E3 5b I thought for this, as a couple of the little footholds made the top easier than doing it without I reckon? I'm not sure though, I suppose 5c is pretty easy (overall) but if this was 5c I think it was E4? Nice route, I'm glad it climbs well and that the lads got it done and dusted.

My shunt of Idle Ignorance had reminded me of the small crimps and holds on the wall to the right. I've cleaned this wall on a couple of occasions, but never really got around to sorting holds/sequences/figuring out where to start! I usually thought about starting from the gully below and in the centre before trending left. Another option was to trend leftwards across the slab from 'Heel...'.

However, on this day, I realised there was a series of moves to be made starting from the grassy ledge of Idle Ignorance. Stepping off the block, you teeter into a hanging corner before making some powerful moves utilising a couple of crimps, one positive and one slopey. A quick foot step through, left to right, then a re-step through right-to-left on an inclined hold, makes up what is the crux move onto a smear. Cool! From here a final insecure move leads to the nicely angled slab to the top. I was surprised by this little chop route, as I had tried to pull through the roof direct, further to the right and was annoyed that nothing climbed this wall. Admittedly, nothing does climb the centre of the wall, so i'll see if anything can be done to rectify that. I don't think it will be that good, but it's a local crag... The new route is probably E6 6a. It feels similar to 'Battle For Tripoli' and also probably my most quoted route 'Ginny Greenteeth'. The move is tricky but it isn't 6b, I don't think. Even so i'm fairly sure the route is 'only' E6, even if it is 6b...? The route might be able to start from below, I didn't try the other day as I enjoyed the sequence across from the ledge... Feel free to go and do it from the ground! :-)

So, a couple more lower grade Extremes at Round Crag, which although not *** are well worth attention for Moors aficionados. My new route is just another chopper, if it gets flashed I apologise for shunting the FA... Not decided on a name yet but as I'm currently looking for a job, it might be one of my last new routes as a jobseeker... (HOPEFULLY OF COURSE!) but we'll see.

Black - Octopet (E4/5), Green - Honey Arete (E5), Small Red - Vampiric Obsession (E5). Blue - Idle Ignorance (E2) and Right-Most Red - New Route (E6)

Clemmitt's additions and Psycho Syndicate

Sam and Matthew have been busy, finally climbing the once-pegged crack at Clemmitt's found just to the right of 'Yellow Brick Road'. Franco, Twig and I had jokingly claimed the line and called it 'Welcomed Back to the Beaver Pack', after looking at the route in the pouring rain. We estimated a grade of E4 6b for the crack in full.
Sam and Matthew climbed the crack flash, climbing from a tree up the crack to the rocking-but-solid block and making an excellent move to the arete at E3 6a. A brilliant addition and better for ignoring the overhanging start by stepping in from the ledge. The upper crack remains though, so I gave it a quick shunt and it indeed does climb at about E4 6b. A shame that its eliminate to go direct, as you can move left at 6a, as otherwise it would be excellent. Still worth doing I might do them both on lead in the future.

Sam and Matthew also quickly dispatched a slab to the right of the crack. I gave it a top rope and agreed it was worthwhile climbing, which starts with an unprotected 6b move, before decent but tricky to place gear and an exciting 6a safe finish. E5 6b for this route I think they gave it and I agree.


Yesterday, alone, I wandered up to the Wainstones to see if my recent board training and mental thinking about Psycho Syndicate had made a difference. I have elected to shunt this line as I was a bit scared of jumping off higher up as the ground is uneven and is probably about as hard, technically as i can climb. Anyway, I quickly found I was much stronger than last time I tried and found I could indeed make the moves which I was delighted about.

The start is a tad reachy but you soon find yourself on a foot ledge with hands in slots. From here Franco made a move up using a mono pocket and high step. I found my finger was unable to fit in the slot so I decided to try it another way. Martin Parker had posted beta on Franco's blog so i decided to try that. It felt like it would work on my last visit. Martins method is to gain a poor left hand sidepull/undercut, which you can get 3 fingers on, but you end up pulling on just one (which is currently wrapped in tape! Ouch). From here I found I had to get very 'straight on', rather than sideways as i'd have expected, in order to get my right foot to step through on to an edge. I had failed before on this not trusting my shoes but here with a newer set i found the move much friendlier. A powerful stand up to a mono/ or two finger razor edge if you crimp the outer part of the hole before and technical foot move and heel use. Scary. A powerful and bold feeling cross through leads to the top. Wild!

The end of the season... Billet The Kid (E5), Tormented Sole (E7), & No Expectations (E5)

With Franco returning to Manchester, our last ten days or so were a mixture of new routing and choosing the best place to get any climbing done depending on the weather. Generally very sunny, it allowed plentiful time out and about but perhaps not where we'd have liked. After quickly dispatching that 'sort-of-project', Weasel Arete, we decided we'd done enough new routes and we were best off focusing on stuff that inspired.

This summer has been a bit odd for me. Last year I managed two E7s but told myself this year I was only keen for safe climbing. Now for bog standard, non-strong climbers like me that means easier grades, as i'm still fairly sure i've yet to climb 6c on trad. Still there was plenty left to do which inspired for the both of us.

After Weasel Arete, we ended up checking out Tranmire, which affords some interesting test pieces but unfortunately we didn't have the time to fully check it out, so instead Highcliffe took up some of the slack on the extremely sunny and warm days, with a clean ascent of Moonflower (E4/5 6a/b) for me which was good as i've wanted to do it for years, having already done the direct. The next couple of days were less focused on us though, with the young upstart Sam accompanying us to the crags, we pointed him at classics and he dutifully ascended them in good style, with a ground up of Scarecrow Crack (E1), Stargazer (E3/4) and Moonflower Direct (E4). Excellent day out!

Sam also managed onsight ascents of Ali Baba (E2), Fever Pitch (E2), Mongol (E2), Yellow Peril (E3) over the next couple of days, with myself spending this time cleaning and climbing Yellow Peril at Beacon Scar and also cleaning and rehearsing No Expectations (E5 6b) at Landslip.
I had always looked on the wall left of Mongol at Beacon Scar and knew of Paul Inghams E2/3 that climbed the groove and crack system. It didn't get any stars and it looks a little eliminate low down but i decided to give it a good scrub while the lads were enjoying the superb Gehenna (HVS) and Mongol. After a right good scrub the climb was ready and I quickly despatched the line; tackling the groove direct which felt around 6a-ish. Good move and lovely high up. Better protected that the description suggests I think. Also the insitu tree is no more!

Similarly, while Sam enjoyed an ascent of Ali Baba at Wainstones, Franco and I ran to Landslip. I'd been on the line before on a strange evening with Richard and Phleppy, but didn't feel it on the day so backed off the idea of leading. However, with mid afternoon conditions feeling better than the previous attempt at dusk, It went with little issue. Several cool moves lead up a groove/blind flake system via shallow cams at half-height before some very thin feet allow some good slots to be reached higher up. Finishing leftwards towards the arete. Good stuff, glad we checked it out!

The summer ended with a quick headpoint by Franco of The Tormented Sole E7 6b ***, which climbs the arete of the Kraken Buttress. I had previously added a direct up the wall to the left, Billet The Kid E5 6a * which i really enjoyed climbing but it's not the 'main event'. Anyway, Franco managed a quick ascent and I managed to quickly link it on a Top Rope. I was stoked to try to repeat it in a session but we decided to head to Stoupe Brow instead... Would have been a tall order I reckon anyway. I just took the second!

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrkYCunTbBnwSr95fR7dIh8K3FbNGXkpL-0vsiA8utiaYseW8koWrNHk-riH6mX7mCuITCHzNZkxHRkDrDPNulDNJnmbl3luN6pBnZ3xe2jSo6z2tTcF_ZMy0p7KcAcsGqqgg2vE0jTp8/s1600/Tormented+Sole+2.jpg

Great stuff.

Otter Hill E6

We've been back to Otter Hill twice since last summer, on both occasions to check out the left arete of the buttress and on both occasions we were heavily rained on. This left a bit of a disgruntled impression of the crag for us and it felt as though we'd never return this summer. However, after an extremely windy half session at Ingleby, with Franco getting a tad further ground up on Time Captain RH, we decided to wander to the more sheltered Otter Hill for another look.

Franco had abseiled the line previously and we had wanted to ground up flash the new line. However, this led to the wasting of time that resulted in major dampening incidents of the past. Today we decided to quickly top rope the line to ensure a quick dispatch. I was pleased we did.

The lower wall leads quickly to some gear at around 3 metres. From here to the top break, each move takes you further into unprotected soloing. A sustained and interesting series of moves lead up the wall to the right of the arete and an enjoyable reach provides a break and gear. From here a pump-inducing top out can be made finishing with a flourish with the aid of lichenous slopers, heather and heels. Great stuff.

The route itself was not how I thought it would be, being quite tricky to suss the moves and being further between holds than it looked from below. No moves are harder than 6a, but the overall sustained feeling and increasing seriousness with the potential for decking off at least one move, possibly two, means a grade of E5+ or E6- seemed prudent. It's a strange one, very easy climbing but not really safe. H4 for the headpoint but hard E5 or even E6 to onsight. It felt a good notch easier than Ginny Greenteeth (E6 6a) but that is unsustained and pretty obvious and also has two no hands rests... So i suppose an easy E6 is a hard E5 and that seems about right...  

Running down the clock

So far this summer has been a good mix of some easier FA's and some good repeats of existing classics, a balancing act I've enjoyed. However, as the summer begins to cool down we saw a burst of development in late August/September and I expect to see the same this year. Maintaining the balancing act of development against established routes I hope to get a hard copy of my targets down and we'll see how many I get done...

So far we've established some cracking routes and repeated some gems too, the most important being recorded in this list and new routes in bold.

1. Rivers of Sand E4 6a - Roseberry Topping. A pseudo-adventure route on slightly sandy rock with a bold starting groove!
2. Thor's Axe E3 5c ** - Thorgill Crag. A photogenic sharp arete, consisting of a short technical crux. 
3. Love or Confusion E4+ 6b * - Ingleby Incline. An interesting climb, culminating in an undergraded bold finishing mantle. Closer to E5/6? for the onsight. 
4. Ellis' Eliminate E3 5c * - Ingleby Incline. Pete Whillance soloed this... however camming devices protect at halfway on the traverse. Another excellent neglected route.
5. Psychosis E5 6b *** - Smugglers Terrace/Fox Holes Crag. A super crack climb with a hard committing crux protected by RP's.
6. Sea King E1 5b ** - Smugglers Terrace/Fox Holes Crag. A pleasant line of weakness and relatively long route. A good addition from the youths!
7. Time Captain E4 5c ** - Ingleby Incline. A tremendous route, long in nature and pumpy. Not technically demanding and generally well protected, however the route retains an overall feeling of commitment. 
8. The Parochial Dream E5 6b * - Thorgill Crag. A sweet highball following a line of pockets up the barrel shaped wall. Bold in nature but protectable with modern age pads. Still worthy of an E-grade.
9. Peel Out E4 6b* - Wainstones. An excellent highball up a slightly eliminate line. Lovely technical climbing deserves more attention especially in the age of bouldering mats.
10. Stargazer Direct E5 6b ** - Highcliffe. An exciting and technical wall climb, with a high and committing crux. Fiddly gear protects (filed down RP or RP + coin); certainly originally graded (E4) for a rehearsed ascent.
11. Beaver Fever E1 5c * - Round Crag. While only being a short line, this little climb packs a few more moves than might be expected. Well protected and technical this adds a low extreme to the crag and helps to create a more 'rounded' grade skew. Awfully named.
12. Slip and Fly E4 6b * - Esklets. An Ian Dunn route, given E3 6b when the peg was new, is now closer to E4 with a heavily rusted peg. Perhaps it would hold? I'll let you find out. A great route, but you need a fair old span on you!
13. Cold Moor Dynos E2/3 6b ** - Cold Moor North Buttress. Removing the aid and side pull from 'Overhanging Wall' via a dyno and then a FA up the scoop to the right of 'Spine Chill', via a large jump. Excellent one movers!
14. Grand Master Flash E5 6b *** - Scugdale. The amazing Dave Paul extreme. Highball in nature these days, it's still not really a good idea to fall off! Technical throughout, powerful low down and with just enough to get the nerves twanging. Super. 


So whats left to do?!

Well, Ch-Ching (E6 6c) is high on the list, after I fell off ground up and hurt myself on the nearby rocks. I'll certainly approach this as a highball with pads and treat it differently to an ascent of Stratagem (E5) up which the route finishes and which is also on the to-do list! Psycho Syndicate (E5 6c) is another one, I've not managed a method that involves monos while Franco easily yarded to the top via an undercut mono. I will probs throw a rope down this one and see if I can work out a 'normal' way to do it! If its mono-dependent, i'm not stoked!
What else? Well Steve Crowe put a few bits and bobs around the place when guidebook checking and he gave A Reach Too Far (E4 6b) three stars. It's got to be worth doing! Bit of a hike to the crag just to do this route, so I've kept putting it off. We'll wait til it's windy or not midgey!
Theres a couple more things at Ravenscar I'd like to do, Screwed (E5 6b), Gangrene (E3/4 6b), Three Screaming Popes (E6 6c) and maybe Rock Bottom (E3 going on E5 6b?). Round Crag is still important to me, I'd love to do Scut de Scun Ai, but i'll be waiting til its cooler. Its a bit choppy, I'm not sure I can justify another E7 6b... Pippi the E6 6c however looks excellent but a hard old start. I still need to do Time Out, E3 /4 6a ***! Would be nice to tick the whole block.
Esmerelda E7/8 6c or Original Sin (E7 6c) are Waterton classics and I'd love to do one of them. Can you shunt Es with the overhang? I'm yet to try.

So what about new routes? Theres some good stuff to get into but it's whether we choose ground up or headpointed ascents. Time constraints are the issue for me here. Ingleby, Smugglers, Stoupe Brow, Thorgill, Kay Nest, High Crag, Highcliffe all seem to have hard and superb routes ranging from nasty highballs to long committing routes of the well protected or choppy variety!

The List I would like is;

Ingleby RH - E6 6c    WORTH DOING
Ingleby Direct E5 6a/b    PROBS NOT WORTH DOING
Ellis' Direct E5 6c?        NOT WORTH DOING
Landslip Arete E8/9 6c          HARD START!
No Expectations E5/6 6b         DONE, a cracking little route.
Kraken Arete E7 6b (with 6c start)      DONE, a classy piece of arete climbing
Kraken Wall E5 6a/b (with 6c start)       DONE, a powerful crux.
On Crack E6 6b?                            TRICKY START ON POOR ROCK
Tranmire Slabs (x4) E4 to E7?       WORTH DOING
Kay Nest Wall & Slab E7/8?         NOT SURE

Grand Master Flash...A Dream With Wings, innit?! Who know's but where did Cannonball Run come from?

A strange 10 days or so for me, with some good ascents but also some failures and poor decisions. It started with some bouldering at Thorgill, where I grounded up an E5 and managed a 7b dyno and 7a+. This suggested I was going well, but still struggled on 'deadpointing' small pops and lacked that couple of inch (or less) required to static these moves. Anyway, a painful fall off Ch-Ching and a total shut down trying to pull on the monos of Psycho Syndicate left me feeling a bit down, however these were balanced by enjoyable ascents of Peel Out, Stargazer Direct, Slip and Fly and i suppose you can throw in the enjoyable dyno-solutions to the North Buttress at Cold Moor there too, as i hate dynos!

The dyno unlocking the left side of 'Impossible Wall', which we named Footless Crowe. Named after the first developer of the buttress, Steve Crowe and the fact its a dyno, as well as the obvious reference!

Franco on Psycho Syndicate

Anyway, Grand Master Flash has always been the scalp I wanted at Scugdale, for me it's the centerpiece of the crag (even though it's off to one side) and, although I don't feel at my strongest (or fittest anymore) the cloudy day seemed right to have a highball on the The Master. In reference to the title, this route has been claimed as several different routes by Dave Paul, Monty (maybe?) and most recently Richard Davies. Oddly, a Dave Paul traverse (Cannonball Run) suddenly appeared on climbonline, which i'll have a look at next time I think.

Originally headpointed, it has seen repeats in this style as well as at least one onsight. I was stoked to onsight or ground it up. However, arriving at Scugdale it was sunny so Franco quickly utilised the newly chipped hold on Humbug, which was in the shade, to climb this bit of wall. Obviously the original Humbug has been awfully damaged by this chiselling-moron, but the move that remains is an interesting spring from the sidepull to the top. The Shelf has also been chipped, by the same person. Certainly a case of someone bringing it to their level, as they haven't created buckets, they've just improved pre-existing holds, with two finger edges. The person in question must have about Font 7A strength though, if they even managed to do 'Humbug'?

After swanning around in the sun, we made are way to Grand Master Flash, which was thankfully just in the shade. Still very warm, we had a look at the buttress from the ground and it looked sandy. Franco rapped and cleaned the holds quickly and I set off ground up. A few powerful moves low down, that are pretty easy to read from the ground, leads to a couple of poorer crimps. I made a move up but i couldn't yard on the left most crimp and i was soon plummetting to the ground. It's high! Fortunately, my usually debilitating left knee has a mind of it's own at the moment and didn't seem to hurt, so spurred on I went again. I reached the same point and 'manked' off it, blaming sweating fingers. Franco flashed the line, enjoying the warm rock of the head wall in slightly scared fashion! Disillusioned by the the events, I elected to abseil down the line and check the crux. I cleaned the crimps and felt the hold above. I found a different crimp which when combined with the original meant didn't have to pull on the sloping number - great! Back to the floor, i powered on up the steep wall for a 3rd time and quickly found myself on the scary headwall. Great route and moves!

I was slightly disappointed by the fact I had lost my ground up, trading it for a far less satisfying 'inspection of route' but theres too much to do and what feels like too little time. A great problem and one I feel is deserving of its E5 6b grade, perhaps feeling E4-ish with pads. Interestingly, I don't think it's 6a, as touted by Ram Man (at about the same time as he did a two finger one armer off the starting hold of New Dimensions!), but the crux feels like it should be a hard pull on a crimp, when in actuality, it ends up being much less powerful...but does involve finding said crimp! Oh well, I'm sure most folk are better at hold finding than I am.

Great route, protectable these days with pads though perhaps not really a good idea to go 'Gung Ho' on as the crux is quite high. Certainly comparable to The Parochial Dream, in terms of feel, perhaps being a tad easier, but more crimpy and harder to read?

No pictures or videos for a while, as my camera got drenched last week by a massive thunderstorm :-(

Stargazer Direct

A terrific route. Not eliminate in my opinion, infact I think this is better than Super Direct? Good moves and pro upto the break, then more small gear and further tricky moves. A small slot, which currently cointains a euro which Jas Wood used to protect the route and apparently a filed down RP was used on the FA. Certainly a tricky onsight! Which is why i would suggest this is hard E5, not E4 as currently suggested! This is added to the fact that the top move is reachy, tricky and amazing. Stargazer and Stargazer Direct are excellent routes on an excellent wall. The super direct appears to be a bit eliminate to me, as you just sort of climb the pits ignoring the large holds of Stargazer. Heck, whatever really some good routes here but perhaps graded in the past for headpoints and that top important hold is somewhat sandy, so perhaps still best approached in that manner? It's up to you... Certainly as good or better than any of the hardish stuff I played on Yorkshire Grit. Well worth doing.

I had a quick play on Cardiac Arrest, hard climbing pulling through the low roof, upper is thin but steadier, i.e less reachy. I noticed that the FA climbed to the ledge on the left than pulled to the good sidepull. If I do it, i'll do it like that, it's eliminate not to in my opinion and depending on where the side runners are I can see it being E4/5 6b? Looks full E6/7 6b to me to climb side-runner-less certainly on a par to Scut de scun ai. Bold. Not sure it's worth it, i certainly won't be investing any time.