Moors in March - Humbug, Boulby, Clemmitt's and Glaisdale Woods

Returning to the moors after term finished and my week in Northern Ireland on fieldwork, i blasted up to Scugdale on the drive home from Leeds, just to make use of the chilly evening after a bright, clear day. I had reduced my food intake while in Ireland and felt light on the day, so after warming up on a few classic solos, i popped my pads down and tried Humbug.
I had been told that using the flat hold on the left made this route more like eng.6b rather than 6c and sure enough it went after a few goes. The method without the hold left felt doable too, but i would like a spotter really as that rock looks awkward to land on!

Couple of days ago i headed to Boulby with my bro and 80's Pete. It was a really warm day and i struggled to climb much hard and just ended up softening my tips up. I did a few nice bits and pieces. A 'hammered' slab contained a few nice slab problems around f5 and then the steep, flake crack on the steep side which goes at about f6b+ from sit. Boulby is a nice little place - a lot of rock! Shame the crag looks too chossy but the outlook is beautiful and the walk in, momentary.

Clemmitt's with Sam on an evening was another 'wasted day'. With no daytime partner and massive expense to drive to Smugglers/Ravenscar etc i was unable to make the most of the completely dry moors by visiting north facers. However, i decided an evening trip to an east facer would hopefully be cool enough to climb. It was, just about.
Sam and I warmed up on 'Ground Effect' boulder doing the 6a and 6b left wall and left arete and then i rather slowly managed Paradise Traverse 7a, which was soapy in the lingering heat. Lovely little climb which is odd, as it has big hand and footholds but still feels tricky.

Finally, my bro and I had an evening wander around Glaisdale woods. Nick wanted me to look at the craglets at the top and after a good stomp around, we walked down to the bottom boulders and I climbed Lee's 'Dreamcatcher' arete, above the den/cave, 3rd go after a couple of false starts - nearly flashed the fooker!
The arete is good, climbing on pockets early on before making use of the arete and holds on the face. For my ascent i started lower than in Lee's video pulling up to put my heel in a big pocket. I then did sit down variations, one utilising a block i later realised was not part of the boulder itself (!) and was infact part of the den, so the stand start is probs best for sure.

Want to go and find Lees 'The Cutter' but he's as yet not disclosed where it is...

More esoterica and a Thruscross revisit...

With Uni fast coming to a close, i am running out of time to visit all the weird and wonderful little crags of the Yorkshire Grit area. These seldom-travelled, oft-overlooked crags are usually always host to some excellent climbs which would be 'classics' at more popular venues.

After wasting my morning/early afternoon watching Middlesbrough embarrass themselves on the BBC, going down 0-2 to L**ds, i nipped out to Crookstones or Hellifield Crags - depending  on what you call them.
I chose the 'direct' approach, apparently strenuous and half an hour long... However, the YorkshireGrit PDF approach is good and if you follow your nose as well, the approach is short lived. I wandered up with two pads in about 25 minutes.

It was breezy, grey and chilly - a contrast to sun baked Leeds but something i was fairly thankful of in terms of climbing conditions. I set to work in the 'Areteland' area, with a quick bosh up the easier aretes before trying the 'E2'. This was green and the top was a bit wet, the landing isn't cracking so i backed off. The E4 (same arete on the right hand side) however was clean and the landing acceptable. That said it was a bit spicy on my own, in the low cloud, but after a 'test drop' i managed to psyche up and get the top. Scary!

I carried on with less high problems, the best being 'Christian's Dyno' - Font 6b and Overhanging Crack (Font 6b).

Nice little crag, the properly north facing bits were green and sandy, the rest just suffers from a lack of traffic. It would be nicer on a warmer day where you could take your time to clean things! Another little craglet ticked off.


With the good weather continuing and with a Monday off uni, myself and Huw decided to try to get a day out at either Hebden Gill or Thruscross (Again). The patches of low cloud and noticeable breeze meant we decided Thruscross was the better choice.

Arriving as the sun began to break through the cloud, we warmed up on some weird HVS, that traverses the ridge of a boulder. It's not bouldering, but its not really a route... strange, but oddly good...
After this, we both quickly climbed 'Yarn Spinner' E2 6a, the high arete with a low crux. Cool moves and an enjoyably bold top section on good holds. I then disturbed a Barn Owl (amazing creature), which was nesting in the block on top of the 'Thruscross Boulder', so avoid that if you go!

It was now time for the main attraction, Laughter Lines, E3 6b. This steep, flared crack set on a prow looks inviting, however on our last visit it was wet. Today, seepage still dominated the lower crack however we soon realised it didn't affect the climb. After some early attempts, i found a jam and 'fridge hug' technique worked of me. With small edges for the left foot and a right heel-toe in the crack i managed to pop my way up weird fingerlock gastons and eventually the bulging holds at the top. Awesome! We climbed the line above pads, but it would be just as easy to lace it with gear.

With a good tick, we walked over to 'Heart of Oak' area and while Huw climbed the 'forgotten gem' E1 6a, i cleaned the top of 'Rising of the Sap' E3 5c. I had bouldered up to the lip of the buttress on our previous visit but was met by a mossy crack and turfed up hold - i jumped off. I cleaned it this time around and after spotting Huw for a bit, stole the pads and quickly climbed the line - finding that the reason the top holds where filthy was because you didn't need them! Doh. Enjoyable little climb, it sort of looks a bit weird, but climbs really well.

Finished off the day potting around on the smaller boulders closer to the reservoir as the sun beat down. Excellent day out :-)

Thruscross

An afternoon off uni on Wednesday and after a couple of dry days, i was interested in doing a bit of highball soloing and short trad to get back into the swing of things; a winter of bouldering left me feeling a bit wary of trad. Uninspired by the prospect of Baildon, Almscliffe or similar i put forward the idea of Thruscross to Huw and he was keen.

We arrived, via a pleasant drive out of leeds at Thruscross reservoir and walked up to the deer fence and along the moorland side until the second large gate. Here we walked down to the Washburn Walls and Thruscross Boulder.

Huw and I quickly geared up and in turn climbed the E1 5b*, High Lair, which climbs a short interesting cracked wall before heading right below a bulge to step back onto the arete and finish in a good position on clean rock. A strange little route but a worthy warm up. Huw then did the HVS to the left and cleaned the top section which was a tad green.

I then fancied a crack at Ratlin' Row E3 5c**, which ascends a short steep wall to a break below a roof, before breaking out right to a jug and mantling to the top. I worked out the start and popped up into the break and placed some runners. Reaching out to the jug with my right, i matched and held the swing before throwing a right heel on to the shelf. Rocking over, i reached over to the top of the wall and deciding going further back was a good idea, i palmed into a mossy, wet moorland... oooops. With a wet hand, i struggled to gain purchase on the top and facing a boulder strewn landing (the gear being pretty useless here) i managed to pullover. Phew! I cleaned the top section and unearthed a friendly crimp and Huw repeated the route, second go.

We wandered to look at the E3 6b crack 'Laughter Lines' which looks like good fun and worth going back for as well as the E2 aretes, E6 6c arete and E4? 6b crease all on the Thruscross boulder.

However, the short evening time constraints meant we seaked out the classic, 'Heart of Oak' E1 6a. This is a lovely little square cut arete and after a few false starts, i managed to figure out the crux. I topped out on the right handside, as it seemed sensible to do so? Then while i had a play on the dirty E3 traverse on this buttress, Huw bouldered out the quality crimpy low level traverse.

We finished at Landslide buttress with Huw soloing the interesting and varied Severe and myself enjoying a quick solo of 'Dam It All' E2 5c, a route up the undercut wall with a high, committing step at half height. Sat at the top with a lovely view of the dam, it was a very good decision to head to Thruscross which had dried completely in the two days following on from rain on Monday. There was a lot of very pleasant looking bouldering and i'll certainly be heading back for a bash on a few of the other things there. Shame Beanstalk buttress probs won't come in till the summer?    

Clemmitt's Innit

Having never bouldered at Clemmitts in the woods, though i have had a rather nice couple of sessions on the 'out the woods' section, I decided to check it out rather than shunting at Round Crag or Danby. The weather had obviously been dryish for a couple of days by the feel of the air and i decided Clemmitts in the woods might be dry enough for a check out.
I arrived to a green-looking boulder field, but checking out the Cloud Nine boulder, i soon realised it was dry and climbable, even if the ground was damp and leafy. The tops of some of the boulders were seepy but not a major problem and the occasional cooling breeze would keep the climbing just right in the positively balmy, February warmth!

I warmed up with some quick onsights of Cloud Nine (6a), Princess Leia (6c) and the other pleasant slab things here and there. I then tried the rather cool looking leaning arete i had seen some photos of Sam trying a week or so earlier. Given 6c+ i thought it would provide a bit of working and the climbing looked good. However sitting down and pulling onto 'Arrogance of Youth' i soon found myself placing a bomber left heel and small left crimp, reach to a juggy pocket and up to a flatty. Match and mantle and over. Interesting climbing and a nice feature but seemingly no more than 6b+?

Buoyed by this, i sat down on the otherside of the boulder at Off the Rails (6c) and pulled up to a small crimp and lopped a left heel on and rocked into the juggy break. I topped out into the heather (!) and then sat down again and popped from the starting holds to the jug and then again to the slopy rail. Obviously this has cleaned up nicely as the climbing is no more than 6a+/6b. But adds to an excellent little circuit already.

I kept glimpsing views of a buttress with a horizontal crack that i'd seen a video of Franco doing some dynos on. I walked up and tried T-Rex (6c) and after a couple of goes to find out where to jump to, i found the sloper and got jumping. It didn't take long, before i was rocking onto the wet top and climbed back down the 5+ to access Dyno Saw (6b+). I thought this was just as hard, with a much larger dyno to a very good hold. Both really nice dynos and well worth doing. I then had a quick play on 'Sandman boulder' doing the weird left to right traverse (6b+) which is probably about 6a+ and then i did the 'project' which, i flashed at 6b, and was obviously one of Lee's 'left projects' for others to do.

Feeling a tad tired, but enjoying the feel of climbing after a few weeks off in nice weather with the dog for company, i sat under 'Iron Bru' on Iron Bar boulder. Given 7a in the guide, i figured out where the holds were and chalked and cleaned them. I pulled on and tenuously grabbed the crimps above. Up to a slopey and damp top i thought the climbing was more like 6c/6c+. I tried 'Iron Bar' (7a+/7b?) and found the climbing good, one to go back for.

The following day; psyched to check out a few other problems i quickly tried 'In the Bag' (7b+) but found the moves on slopers too hard for me in the balmy double figure temps... so i wandered to 'The Bear (7a/7a+) and spent around half an hour cleaning and slapping my way, desperately towards the top of this fridge hugging fest. However, with the dog looking on questioningly, i attempted to clamp my right heel on to the hanging column and found this was the secret. From this stable position i could pop to the flatties on top.
I finished the day climbing Coconut Mono (6b) without the old, now broken hold, which i felt was about 6b+ before spending 15 or 20 minutes figuring out Oaks Roof. This climbs well, but is marred slightly by snappy undercuts. However, its a nice little problem and is given 7a in the guide, but is on as V7 on UKC and suggested to be V5, also on UKC. I felt 6c+/7a in the way i did it so there!


Lovely place, easy walk in - i will go back again before the summer comes and the bracken makes the place generally unpleasant! Go to it, it's a cracking little place. Train at 'Boro wall and 'send' at Clemmitts. Buzzing.
   

The White Scoop and Waves of Inspiration

Franco and I have enjoyed developing the moors over the last couple of years and towards the back end of the summer managed to 'put up', two of our self-appointed best routes. My addition was the very bold, break-away line from 'Central Crack' (E2) which i headpointed over two days and decided on a grade of E7 6b***. Franco, over the same time period cleaned up and climbed a slabby wall, featuring beautiful scallops from the quarrying. This dynamic and arguably morphological climb was grade E7 6c/7a*** with Franco deciding on 6c after some musing.

We were both fairly confident about the grades and quality of our lines and looked forward to someone repeating them. In October, local strong-man Richard Waterton headed out of a pleasant day shunting the lines and got in touch to seemingly confirm their quality and grades. This was a pleasant surprise and the dialogue can be seen on Franco's Blog: http://www.francocookson-climbing.blogspot.com/2012/02/bit-of-moors-grading-re-jig.html.

Dave Warburton on the F.A of 'The White Scoop'

The take home comments were that the franco's Waves was indeed around E7 6c** and around slabby F7b+. He suggested that the climbing was very good on excellent rock.
While Richard commented that my style on The White Scoop was indeed worth around E7*/**, however he questioned whether it was not worth climbing higher and placing gear off a left hand crimp to create a 'less suicidal' climb at around E6 6b. Also suggesting the climb was spoilt by sandy rock at the start. Basically questioning if 3*'s were applicable. However, it would seem these days that 3* has lost its 'national significance' meaning and would appear to reside with 'area classics' - We wouldn't want to the Moors to be left behind in the star-revolution!

"Going back to placing gear in the crack - when I top roped the route I followed the same line that you did (I didn't try traversing left higher up or anything) - my point was that I didn't think you'd have to climb up and down the crack to place a higher runner, but might instead be able to do this by reaching right off a reasonable crimp on the wall left of the crack, before moving left and doing the crux sequence up into the scoop. I didn't however test this out as I was busy trying not to fall off!"

Dave Warburton on the F.A of 'The White Scoop'

I would suggest that any future ascentionists check the top out is clean and enjoy it in any style they like. A moderately high runner at E6 or at the top of the crack at E5? to make a safe and excellent pitch, which i must admit crossed my mind but decided the FA was best done in the style i did it in... As i say, go and enjoy it in any style you like!

Richard didn't say any of the other lines were crap either! Except that 'Barry' the E4 on the largest boulder was extremely poor rock quality, which i must admit, i totally agree with. You'll be able to find a better E4 on the walls of the quarry somewhere, i'm sure!

Franco on the F.A of 'Waves of Inspiration'

Back end of '11

An uneventful year-ender in regards to keeping my blog updated, however i managed to achieve a few things that were pleasing for me. After my love-affair with Hawkcliffe, i lost interest in trad/headpointing as the weather degenerated and the dissertation/work mounted up.

I turned my attention to bouldering therefore and also taking advantage of the cheap rates at Leeds Wall to 'see if i could get strong', as i am aware i am not particularly strong in any way, shape or form. I think the highlight of this 2 month period was certainly Demon Wall Roof (Font7a+)... which is a bit disappointing when i think about it now... however, i enjoyed the moves after struggling to manage the final move, after the 'crux'.

The low point was repeatedly failing on the final move of  'Green Wing' (Font 7b). The final move is not the crux,  not even close, but i couldn't manage to do anything other than mashing my hand on the sharp lip of the JUG! Never mind, i take some sort of comfort in 'cruising' the moves up the final slap and V8 is certainly not really my territory.

The year ended properly with the discovery of North Sea Crag X. An east facing series of buttresses which look like they will provide some excellent trad routes. Currently established after our brief foray are two routes; an excellent corner crack which is well protected and certainly slightly awkward (HVS 5b**) and a highball arete (Font7a+) that leads to the upper buttress which hosts some outrageous looking lines. Stoked. Get in touch.

The dissertation is done and the exams are past, so i should be back to climbing after leaving it for 3 weeks. I couldn't believe how bad i felt last night when i popped down the wall. Never mind.

Hawkcliffe finally let's me down...

Rain finally breached the seemingly ever dry defences of Hawkcliffe and when myself and Conor returned, with me being stoked to look at Stepmother Jag - E4, Call of the Curlew - E4, Driveby or Shamrock (E6's) i was pretty disappointed to discover the crag was damp.

I had a quick look at the direct finish to Woodland Ecology, which looks possible but hard so i changed my attentions to a sort of 'alternate finish' to Woodland Ecology itself as it tackled the driest section of crag. I'd actually already soloed the top 'new' bit the day previous while there on my own, but i returned today to lead it properly - i prefer to do FA's with someone else.

Baisically, it follows Woodland Ecology to the gear and then makes tricky moves up to the base of an obvious unclimbed scoop. From here, it is possible to reach out right and finish for the final move of Woodland Ecology baiscally avoiding the large ledge and adding several more (i thought) good moves on this great slabby wall. Decided it was E4 6a* as the moves and positions are good even if it is a tad eliminate. The moves are similar but more sustained than Woodland Ecology and the gear is closeby but i wouldn't call it perfect.

Anyway, made up for a damp day at the crag - i might leave it til next year now and go elsewhere? Though, perhaps i should make the most of Blood on the Shamrock being clean... though i haven't the foggiest how to shunt it safely and i don't think i'm good enough to flash it? We'll see...