Battersby new routing, new buttress hunting gone wrong and a quiet evenings bouldering...

Disappointed by the recent weather thwarting our climbing plans, we decided that we would test the idea we had, that 'Battersby Tower', a newly discovered outcrop along the Battersby range would provided superfast drying, rock... We weren't disappointed.

We arrived feeling 'ropey', from the effects of an upper-class night out in Yarm... but quickly got to work. Franco abseiling down the left arete and proclaiming that 'it was for another day'. I then decided, feeling the least dodgy of us, to have a quick solo of the 'rampline' of weakness up the front of the buttress. We couldn't decide if it looked VS or E2. However, i was confident i wouldn't be too bad. I racked and roped up, but realised i cherished photos much more, so Franco took them while i trailed the rope and gear up. I intended to place gear where possible, however, the gear is poor in the lower sections.
The crux is interesting. A step up to either a large, licheous sloper or a smaller footedge. Eitherway, the move is unbalanced and the lack of gear focusses the mind. A cool little move and the top groove was delightful. An E1 5a* or E2 5b*, we were unsure. It reminded me of 'Physical' at Broughton Bank, although harder, but it also reminded me of Queer Street at Highcliffe, an E1 5a**. Either way, a lower grade route, which we were especially pleased with.

Franco then quickly dispatched the direct start to the same line, taking the obvious groove at E2 6a, but with not added quality. The real shame was the offwidth that bounds the right side of the crag. It is too close to the edge to warrent a route effort, REALLY large gear would be needed too!

We decided to call it a day at Battersby and for whatever reason chose to walk towards 'Rudd Scar' and 'Botton Head' to check if they actually existed... Rudd Scar certainly does and there are outcrops along the Botton Head area, though we lost psyche to check them today after being defeated by endless bog and waining time.

                                        
                               Some crags for future devoties?

We finished the day with a quiet evenings bouldering at Potter's Quarry. I haven't been for ages and the two 'big 5c's', Borboletta and Poision Letter were in mind, as we had previously dismissed them at 'hard and high' when climbing at 5a/5b. Anyway, the route was less high than i remembered and was also much more decorated with holds. The crux actually appeared to be the move off the deck and we quickly dispatched both routes first go, which was very nice. They are hard for '5c' i would give them either highball V3 or much more fitting, E1 6a - i don't know if it was just my knee, but i felt pretty lonely towards the top of the wall. Regardless, it's an excellent little problem, quite sustained to the top.

 

Franco on an 'undergraded' eng.'5b'... more like Font 6a+

After viewing the old maps in the area, the area that 'tower' is found, was called 'Otter Hill', which we liked a lot. The buttress is part of the 'Battersby Crag' area, but it is around half a mile from the already developed 'Battersby Crag' so, we have elected to describe this as it's own buttress. The Otter Hill Bastion...

Clemmitts Bouldering

After an annoying and probably expensive incident with the car (something to do with springs destroying the tyre), Lee (Betaguides) Robinson journied up from Hull, with the intention of trying out the Goathland bouldering opportunities.

Franco and I were less inspired by this, with the 40-50min drive being a bit off putting at 5.30 in the evening. We thought Clemmitts, (the newly developed and extensive bouldering circuit which had aluded my attention due to a variety of reasons) mainly due to a small circuit that needed trying around the southern area and also, the fact i'd never been.

Anyhow, the scattered collection of boulders had some pleasing and often tricky little problems, with some good aretes, especially on the 'Mobile Phone' block. The obvious arete and the walls to the left and right giving nice Font 5+ climbing, however the sitting start on the arete, bouncing the grade to around Font 6a/6a with an eliminate traverse from the main arete towards the right, however the last move was very hard and totally eliminate, so we left that.

Lee then found and flashed a Font 6b arete, that climbed really well indeed

A low boulder nestled in a small collection of 'blocs' contained a quality, low, angled arete. With powerful moves on small crimps with a crux dropdown on small holds, with poor feet. An excellent problem at about Font7a+/V7.

Certainly psyched to get back to do all the good problems in the Clemmitts main circuit as well, looks more than worthwhile.

Danby Crag - New Routes

Spain seems like last year. Since then i've spent the best part of 3 weeks finishing uni work and revising for exams, in which time i went to Troller's Gill and Kilnsey. These were ok days out with routes from F7a to F7b. I then began my summer mapping project, 6 weeks of geological mapping in the Skyreholme Area.

I was quite psyched for this, expecting some people to come from leeds to climb, but unfortunately this never happened and i ended up spending 5 weeks 20minutes from Trollers. Admittedly after a day of geology in the field i rarely felt like going down to 'see if i could get a belay off someone there. I ended up soloing a few lower grade routes there, a quality HVS slab, Brute a strenuous flake E1 and a F6a or two.

Fortunately this came to an end and i returned to the moors to meet up with Franco. I was unsure how i was climbing, feeling a bit peeved that my F7a fitness (pretty good for me) was lost, due to exams and mapping. I had flashed E4 and E5 just before too.
However, Franco's arete finds at Danby were great. Complimenting tricky moves, with good positions and in my style. A quick headpoint of 'The Jungle Drum' a really good, 8m arete with a well protected but potentially hard to read move at half-height near numerous cams. The tops moves padding with feet which laying away from sandstone flutes is a delight.

 

Shunting 'The Jungle Drum' H4/E4 6a**

To the right is a wall, starting off below a bulge, you ascend to a series of horizontal breaks where 'adequate' rather than good gear is arranged. From here a tenuous, painful move on a fingertip splitting edge allows a good rail to be achieved. This move has as much about foot placement as it does on sheer will to yard on a painful edge, but after a couple of shunts i felt that the 'on-off' move was more on, than off.

 

 Abseiling down 'The Polish Diplomat' H4/E5 6a/b

 

 Reaching the crimpy-horror-hold, the crux is pulling off this to the top

  

The crux, it's a hard pull, very obvious but can be very 'on-off'.

Both routes are around E4/5 6a/b, probably low in this grade, 'The Polish Diplomat' probably weighing in as slightly harder than The Jungle Drum, due to the potential added danger. Sam however found the climbing on The Jungle Drum much more straightforward than The Diplomat, so perhaps i can't grade?

 

 Sam yarding, unsuccessfully on the crimpy-horror-hold

Franco then found yet more potentially very hard routes, one being very interesting involving a wild slap or a ridiculous full length static stetch (probs need to be 6ft 2 at least!) to a small break at the top.

 

 Sam enjoying the tremendous, sustained and stiff, Valiant VS 4c** (MHVS 5a)

                                        Face pulling on Valiant

Seems Danby is where its at. Oh, Battersby crag too, maybe...!

An odd, mish-mash of pics and video from our couple of days at Danby new routing.


Compilation of video and photos of Danby Projects from Dave Warburton on Vimeo.

El Chorro - Archidona, Desplom, Loja and El Choado

2 weeks of spanish sport climbing provided the respite between geology fieldwork and exams. Unfortunately the weather was fluctuating, with chilly, windy conditions turning to warm and stormy towards the back end of the week.

Anyhow, it was a long two weeks in regard to blogging for it, so im just going to post a load of photos and forget the text! The trip was interesting for me, as i found there was SO much to climb, i tried to just onsight everything, resulting in the second week seeing me try nothing below F7a, warming up on F7a's at that! I generally fell off lot's but got some good Onsights and RP'd stuff i decided i'd get second go, no problem.

It was a good little trip, seeing Archidona, Despomilianda, Loja and the Gorge itself. The routes of the trip were, Cosas caseras at Despomilianda, Canibales a dieta a quick F7a+ redpoint at Loja and a 'saver' for me after 2 1/2 days at the crag in poorish weather. Gros Rouge, a F7b that i nearly flashed taking a last clip fall, I decided i could probably flash/onsight F7b at somepoint but it didn't materialise. Excellent F7a slab/wall climbing with Fiebra de sur was also a highlight.

((Clicking on the photos enlarges them, which is quite helpful!))

 Archidona - Franco Cutloose on F7b roof

 Chilly antics at Despomilianda

 Sean on a hard F7b at Despomilianda

 My bivvy cave, with a view at Loja.

 First rays of sun for 2 days!

 Made me go crazy...

 The importance of food!

Franco on an unsuccessful attempt at F8a tufa climbing

Almendruca, F7a*** at Les Albercones. Too many bolts on this wall...

The closest you can come to a F7b flash, never mind...

Oceano Gris - F7a slab above the train line

The balcony that was my home for 4 evenings...

The steepness that is Puema de Roca, F7a**

Obligatory silheuette shot...

 Franco on Puema de Roca also.

Photos, courtesy of Franco, Rebecca, Huw, Sean and Me. Can't remember who took which in some cases!

Good trip, i'm stoked to go back in the winter so we can stay for longer at south facing crags, as we were managing about 4 hours in the morning 7-10/11ish and then 4 hours in the evening from 4/5ish to 8/9. There are a fair few routes i'd quite like to redpoint along the Frontales and that.



Hetchell - Home to the scrittly solo

Heading home from Leeds to Castleton, i was driving back on a sunny, if a little muggy, afternoon. I took the wrong road towards the A1 and ended up passing Hetchell crag. I was planning on soloing at Scugdale on the way home but Hetchell is often a bit damp and it had been dry for a week so i took my chances. Guidebookless, i followed the path i vaguely remembered and sure enough, the crag showed up in trees on the left.

I had a rope with me as i planned to look at moors things, so arriving i decided to try the E4 5c, Dead Angst. I seem to remember Andy Hobson telling me to clean it prior to the solo, i think he said that, or he said it was good regardless but anyhow, i abseiled down and cleaned and chalked the holds.

Some asian lads turned up and started messing with my abseil rope, so i hung around and 'chatted to them' being told i was 'sick' and 'way-cool bro' and that apparently last time they were there, they found a rope and 'messed with it' but someone was using it and they 'nearly killed them'. I questioned their proudness on the subject, expecting some sort of backlash, i actually got an apologetic, seemingly friendly response when i told them never to mess with ropes at crags again..

Anyhow, i returned to the base of the crag when they seemed to have wandered off and set about on the solo. The starting crux i had a feel of and it looked ok, just crafy footwork i decided. I pulled on, and the holds, cleanish now after a quick scrub allowed me to gain the 'buckets' at half height. I chalked up and gained the two holds above, with a bit of a 'moment' when i couldn't organise my body position! I then looked up and found i was totally miles from the next chalked holds! What the fuck, i thought, fortunately, there are two fairly obvious slots in the small break a 1 pad 4 finger on the left and a 2 finger slot on the right, both a bit slopey and scrittly. Right foot high up to a shallow pocket thing (i would DEFINATELY want clean of scrittle) and i reached the juggy break and up to the top, via a couple of moments of being frightened... I wasn't sure about the top and groped around via lots of 'good' holds but no buckets that i wanted! I got up it to find the lads who once again were, for use of a more eloquent word, impressed by my exploits!

Dave Warburton soloing 'Dead Angst' at Hetchel from Dave Warburton on Vimeo.

Friendly little crag, i like it, definately a clean and flash sort of venue though i think as i scared myself again on the 'E3' to the right, chosing to finish up 'Dead Angst' at the top (slightly right of actually)as the top seemed very, very sandy.

Scared enough for one day i quickly departed for the Moors, arriving to some roast pork! Awesome day.


I reckon this was probably my last day climbing before heading to Wales/Ireland for 2 weeks of Geology Fieldwork. However after that, i'm mooching out to El Chorro with Cookson, H-dawg (he's from Halifax you know...) and Dr. Sean. I set myself the targets of V7/Font7a+, get some sport climbing done before hand and be climbing E2/3 by the time i left to Ireland.

As it turns out i didn't tick V7, a handful of V6's at Almscliffe was my best, though the last move of DWRoof and also the last move of Crusis would suggest i was almost there and to be fair i was hardly 'psyched' for it, just kind of went when the weather was shite! Also had a sit under the keel, sort of felt like another Almscliffe 'person'.

Trad was a tad disappointing. Ok, some E2's on grit, like the Shelf at Crookshite and a ground up of Atomic (E3) was nice enough, but i also took a gear ripping, ground clipping whipper at Gate Cote off one of the massively steep E2's there, so i felt a bit odd with trad.
I half fancied getting some of the *** Yorkshire Limestone E3's when the stuff was invariably dry during this great period of weather, but Oedipus is birdbanned now i think? I don't own a clipstick for the start of Central Wall and Amber Gambler at Attermire just looked plain nails to start! I couldn't convince anyone to go to Giggleswick south and i didn't really think about Malham!
I did however do a couple of Nice E2's on the limestone, Brutus and Comer at Attermire being worth the drive there and although i thought Comer was better, i was happy with Brutus as it's the kind of thing i'd have pumped out on properly in the past, but i found it almost 'pleasantly pumpy'.

I think the highlight of the first 3 months of year has to be the Sport on the Yorkshire Limestone. I was always told that it 'seeps til summer' but thats just the big crags really and there are some esoteric gems (if you like that sort of thing, which being from the moors, i do!)
I ended up spending a total of 4 days at Gate Cote Scar!!!! mainly due to it's quickdrying, sheltered character which was impressive during a week of heavy showers and strong winds. There were also days at Troller's Gill (should have done more but partners not interested in the place!) Panorama is great and Moughton too. I managed my first F7a in the UK and also my first F7a+ too, though, they were bouldery through lower overlaps and then easier above, so i don't know how much of an idea that gives me of Chorro!

Then obviously a E3 and E4 at Hetchell yesterday, though, highball solos are my forte, even if these are the wrong side of highball! Anyhow, let's see what Spain brings!

Crookrise and Attermire

Nice couple of days, firstly up at Crookrise, soloing the Crease Direct (E1) and Hovis (E1) which were nice routes and Winters Day (E2) a cool, if slightly eliminate slab. Then i decided to crack the rope out and do The Shelf (E2), which was a nice one mover, which until you pull into feels like it's going to be E2, but is probably only HVS, with a size 1 cam! Pretty cool little route regardless.

Attermire Scar is a crag i'd fancied going to for a while for a bit of short, limestone tradding. Anyway, only managed to find one person keen to head up for the day, Huw, so we did and managed to tick some great little routes, with Brutus (E2), Tipster (E2), Smitton By Anguish (E1). I also got a treat by finding Comer (E2) dry, which is apparently quite a good result for March.
The very interesting fact was that the crag seemed un-polished which seemingly suggests the crag has recovered over the last 10 years or so (judging by rockfax database comments) so that was another nice suprise.

Nice crag, sunny or sheltered or shady depending on which buttress you head to and what you fancy.

Attermire might have been my last day out before Ireland Fieldtrip and spain. I'm a bit disappointed we couldn't get a couple of days at Troller's or Loup Scar but finding the time and people who were keen for F7+ sport has been unfortunately hard. Never mind, we'll just see how spain goes now?

Gate Cote Scar

50mph winds and westerlies with showers, i proposed Troller's Gill. Unfortunately Huw doesn't seem to like the place and there aren't really many other people in the club willing to go to F7+ crags, i don't know if it's because it's sport or because it's 'hard' but anyway, i decided to search the guide for somewhere that might be worth a 'punt'.

Gate Cote Scar, East facing and 'quick drying' seemed a little bit too good to be true, but after the evenings rain i knew the quick drying aspect would have to be truthful for a successful day.

We drove over through early afternoon dry weather arriving at the crag to rain... Fookin' hell!
We walked up anyway and found it was dry, another exception coup for the 'choad hall' team. Admittedly first impressions of the crag is that it isn't Kilnsey, Malham or anywhere else like that, but it was dry and clean and that's all that matters... (and for the record it's actually very good!)
There is a healthy mix of trad and sport. I was keen for the sport seeing as rain was a potential factor so we warmed up on a lovely F6a+ arete, while it snowed... making jokes about climbing in Switzerland or somewhere similar.
We had a sit around and ate some food while the snow stopped and i tried the F7a***, "A Matter of Degrees". The start felt nails and i gave up. Trying the F7a** "Arc de Ciel" to the right. This was easier and i quickly got up to the top bulge and was undercutting my way to a good F7a O/S. I'm still not sure about the start to the other one, it looks like it may have lost holds? I'll try abit harder some other time.

The short day came to an end with Huw climbing the F7a and then climbing the F6b groove line, which looked good fun. I then rushed to try the F6c+ to the left but found the second clip hard, which was scary... I also found out it's given F7a+ elsewhere...?! Another one to come back for.

We did, the next day! Similar weather a couple of lads, Daf and Sam who were keen. Unfortunately the weather was worse, more rainy today.
I decided to trad climb today and tried the 'classic - Blue Meanings' E2. I however didn't really know which crack to head towards on the upper wall and then it began to lash it down, so i escaped right up the VS. Abseiling down, the wall the 'E2' didn't look E2... more E3 5c, but i'll have another play when it's dry!

Huw got some trad in while it rained and then I decided to try the F7a+ under the main low overhang, which climbs a short wall on sidepulls and through the roof using an obvious hole. I had tried it the day before and given up finding the moves bouldery. However this bouldery section was the only dry rock, so i quickly had a rethink and found the sequence went much easier if you use your noggin'. I was past the crux on a bomber finger lock, getting pelted by rain. I popped to the incut which felt like shit, even thought it's a jug and over the next 10 or 15 minutes skated my way to the top. Hard fought clean ascent in the rain, of a very well named route - "Sunshine on a Rainy Day"... excellent.

I intend to return, but perhaps on a more pleasant day to do some of the trad in better conditions. It's worth a look, as it does seem to dry very fast and it's certainly sheltered from westerly and westerly showers.

Keen for all this early season Limestone esoterica, really should go to the proper venues though!