UKC

As some of you may know I am packing off to Sydney for a couple of years on Friday and yesterday I completed the task I had set for myself prior to leaving. This was to climb 1,000 routes on Stanage.

I have solo’d over 900 and seconded 11 the rest were led on-sight. This idiotic obsession has taken 15 years to complete, convinced family and friends that I am a looney and leaves me strangely unsatisfied.

What I would like to know is are there any equally obsessed loonies out there? I know there must be some. My travels, since the new guide came out, have taken me to some pretty obscure bits of Stanage and I have evidence that I am not alone, I have seen the chalk.

So please own up and let me know I am not alone.

In reply to Archangel in Oz:

Ive climbed everything I am aware of (including new routes and unlisted lines) below VS on Stanage and am working my way through the VS and HVS climbs (if only I had more time and talent). I'm sure a fair few people have climbed almost everything there (big Ron?) but they have ability on their side.

I think you let yourself down by seconding 11 but if you check my site for the magenta text unlisted lines there are loads you could sneakily solo onsight to remove that blip.

In reply to Archangel in Oz:
Good effort.
Just spent time counting mine 938 - what a disappointment!
I guess that's the plan for the spring sorted then.

Chris

In reply to Archangel in Oz:
OK, your next challenge is to bag 1000 routes at Arapiles before you come back! I suppose the Blueys would be more convenient though.
Enjoy!

In reply to Archangel in Oz:

Nice one, the fact that Chris Craggs hasn't managed this points to the scale of this task. It's always the way that you have never climbed as much as you think you have. I always consider myself a North Wales afficionado and was disappointed to find I'd only done about half the routes in Paul Williams' Snowdonia guide. I really don't think you've let yourself down by seconding 11 routes considering some of the things you've soloed, onsight, in shit conditions whilst alone at the crag.

Congratulations you sad, sad man!

PS. I'm on 85 for Stanage

In reply to Archangel in Oz:

I had done all but five routes in the original 60s guide and thought I would get there but some sod brought out recent developments and spoilt things for me.

Nearest I got to completing a guide was the original Laddow one, but failed to do Ravenstones and a couple on Yellowslacks that got blown up by the farmer.

In reply to Archangel in Oz: Good effort.

I managed to get everything under VS done in the 83 guide, didn't bother with the 89 guide but am now "playing" with the 2002 guide gradually getting all the obscure easy routes done.

Have got to about 630 routes so far, but have a list of another remaining 110 or so "easy" routes to do. After that it's tidy up the VS 4c grade which seems to have some possible stoppers like "Papping around like a man with no arms".

In reply to Michael Hood:

The real problem with Stanage VS is the sheer numbers: I'm fairly sure there are now more than 300 which makes approximately one in 4 routes on the edge a VS. The HVS category is not that far behind in numbers either.

Don't complain about Paping...in 89 you had Little Things (now HVS and I've not climbed it but at a guess from those that have it might be E2).

In reply to Archangel in Oz:
Did you do the girdle of the entire crag? Couldn't beleieve it when i saw this in the guide - it's like 4 miles long or something.
Or does anyone know anyone who's done it? None of the climbers I know will ever do a girdle with me, never mind one that long.

In reply to Leeds Andy:
The above emssage about the girdle traverse wasn't Andy, it was me using his computer and forgetting to log him out, sorry.

In reply to Offwidth: If I'd managed to get any routes done on Saturday (ended up bouldering), I would have notched up 100 at Stanage since I started climbing about 18 months ago. That encompasses my first lead (Grotto Slab) to my first E2 (Pot Black). I guess that means I'm on target for 1000 in 15 years! Good effort though Archangel!

More importantly though there's nothing quite like a summer's evening doing leads and then pottering around on easy solos as the light fades. Stanage is a special place.

Paping about....great route name. Almost as good as Spearing the Bearded Clam or Foetus on the Eiger!

In reply to Leeds Andy: Ron Fawcett. Unrepeated.

In reply to Archangel in Oz:

Just had a quick count - 414.

I did something similar with Burb N - 146

Might have a go and see how many I could get if I applied myself, sounds like a good idea.

J

In reply to Ropeboy:
We never got round to trying 100 in a day - maybe next year

Reckon I must be somewhere between 200 and 400, but that over 18 years and I tend to repeat rather than doing new ones

However I did manage 68 leads in 2 weeks on Kalymnos, beat that !

In reply to Archangel in Oz:

Including seconded routes (about 30)I'm on about 580 so far, and am working towards ticking the crag upto HVS. Dont worry about 'Paping..' the easier S4a back route still gets you the tick, after all 'Big persons need not apply'. In fact, sad git that I am I'm trying to tick the peak district upto HVS.. scarily I'm not doing badly.

In reply to Archangel in Oz:

I had a similar obsession with Burbage, ive managed all the routes below HVS now, all most all solo. Next project is to lead all the routes between HVS - E3 when i can find partners and have the balls! (ive top roped english 6a loads of times, clean a few times, but never had the balls to lead above 5b)

In reply to Chris the Tall: 100 routes in a day (all up of course) on Stanage is not too bad - just very tiring. Should be even easier with the new guide cause there's loads of new easy obscurities.

100 routes you've never done before all on-sight in a day would be more impressive, I think of my 100, 99 were routes I'd done before, but then I only had 650 to chose from rather than the current 1200 odd.

Hey Offwidth. I am not particularly bothered about having seconded 11 routes, it was my challenge after all. I reckon your statistics are way out as well but I should have lots of time for counting (and pining) in the next few years.

Paping about like a man with no arms. What a none route. (I probably wouldn't be saying that if I was skinny enough to fit through the hole). There were moments when I really questioned the sanity of what I was doing. Standing with my head jammed in the hole in that stupid route with my feet skidding on green slime was definitely one of those moments.

There are actually about 1,400 routes in the new guide. I count a route as being anything with a name in bold.

The most routes I ever did in a day was 54 but this was pretty much starting a point x and doing every possible route rightwards.

I am desperately trying not to set my self anymore challenges and I am going to enjoy picking off the remaining doable routes over the next 15 years (hopefully), but I will visit some other crags for a change!

In reply to Archangel in Oz: You're not alone - after purchasing the new guide i've been working along from the popular end soloing anything that takes my fancy. got to tower face - reckon that must be ~400 routes. have also spent the day doing every route up to V Diff. it does get a bit scrappy in places.

one route that has put me off so far is (i think) holly bush crack. am not thinking of the v.diff at th epopular end but some chossy crack blocked by a prickly bugger - have you done it?

In reply to Tobs at work: If you mean the one to the right of Namenlos (I think), next to a severe (Straw Crack ?) then yes I have. But this was several years ago when the holly was much smaller. Looks a bit more "interesting" now - only those with full body rubber armour fetish need apply.

In reply to Tobs at work: That does ring a bell. I have done a route in the Namenlos area called Holly Crack. I am not next to my guide at the mo so can't be more specific. There are loads of routes that require a good degree of intolerance to prickles.

And there was a Severe (I think) right of Count's Buttress I had to back off recently as I just could fight my way through the tree.

In reply to Chris Craggs: Thankfully I am beginning to feel less alone although I think I am currently taking the prize of the biggest looney, but it does seem my status may be overtaken in the next few years.

Chris I have said many times what a fantastic job has been done in the new guide but I do have information on a number of discrepancies are you interested?

In reply to Michael Hood: That is the one. am currently struggling with the trainspotter part of my psyche as to whether it is worth it or not.....

In reply to Archangel in Oz:

likewise...

In reply to Archangel in Oz:

so what stood out among them all ?
easy graded routes that you found hard or vice versa ?
an unstarred route that you think should be 3 stars ?
many memorable climbs, or is it just all a blur ?

well done anyway.

In reply to stonewall: Stanage is a magical place which I fell in love when I lived to Sheffield in 1993. I have lots of great memories of routes and great days out with friends. I knew I was emigrating this year so I spent a lot of time (how can I put this) not spending as much at work as I possibly should have done. So I got to spend a lot of weekdays out in the winter. Being alone on Stanage on a crystal clear winters day takes some beating.

The sense of release and freedom after finally doing Satin after around 10 years of trying was a relief.

More recent trips have been more to do with obsessional gap filling no star nonsense when I really did think I was going mad but every now and then my sanity would be rescued by a fantastic route or even one move on a route.

I am half considering writing up my experiences in some form of article hmm we will have to see about that.

Being alone on Stanage on a crystal clear winters day takes some beating.

...indeed - I was there last weekend and the far end was quiet, cold and clear. fantastic !

I am half considering writing up my experiences in some form of article hmm we will have to see about that.

...you can do that on your 23 hr flight.

In reply to Chris the Tall:


Pretty good 34 per wk average. I did about 25 the one week I was there and thought I was doing well, particularly when some of those were up to 40m long (almost counts as two routes!). It certainly helps save time with those chunky snap gate lower offs.

After a year and a half of outdoor climbing I have ticked around 60 routes at Portland and about 40 at Swanage. I think there are too many routes in Dorset to ever do them all! Maybe every sports route on Portland would be a good aim, but I cant climb F8a either.

In reply to Archangel in Oz:

I cannot recall a route on Stanage I disliked; even the fights through the holly bushes were fun in their own way (plus some have been pruned and are easier now). Continuing the effort to climb every route below HVS on Froggatt, Birchen, Gardoms, Tegness Quarries, Black Rocks, Windgather and Castle Naze and everything below VS on The Burbage Valley, Curbar, Baslow, The Roaches (Upper, Lower and Skyline) and Five Clouds and nearly everything below VS on Wharncliffe, Rivelin, Millstone, Lawrencefield, Rivelin, Cratcliffe and contining to tick my way through every other peak grit crag: there are some real vegetated horror shows and chop routes in that lot and thats when you really question your sanity.

PS as for the stats I think you are right and I should explain the difference: its still officially well below 300 VS lines, so probably much closer to 1 in 5 of the total on a 2004 "bold type" route count. Its still tricky to work out the 'true' number. Ive not counted in the 2004 guide yet but there are about 210 VS lines in the Topo guide (from about 1100 in total) about 20-30 new routes on the database (some in the new guide, some not) a similar number of new VS lines in the new guide which were not listed previously as new routes (Chris and Dave never put them up on the database). Now for the unoffical bit: I've found a fair number of undergraded S and HS lines that I think are VS and overgraded HVS lines to push my current check count of VS lines to just over 300. However I've still not not climbed a lot of the VS lines and over half of the HVS lines. Hence, I forgot that probably more of the VS's will become HVS or HS (in my opinion) when I check them, than HVS (or E1) lines that will become VS: so my final total may not make the 300 mark. Obsessed, moi?

PPS an article would be good.

In reply to Bob Dulieu:

I thought you'd be higher than that. My number of 2004 routes is similar but the number on my site including all the gap fillers gives about 660 I've climbed (about 25% seconded...mainly harder lines). Add nearly 40 or so routes I've climbed in the early days but couldn't remember well enough to comment on and I'm close to 700. I will struggle a lot to reach 1000 without seconding loads more or going back to falling off HVS climbs.

In reply to Archangel in Oz:
News of any 'discrepancies' (very polite) would be great. I am going to put some time aside soon to double check my totals and get a definitive route count from the 'definitive' guide.
As you say great crag - really great crag.

Chris

In reply to Chris Craggs:

Better than that ? (hence the detractors?)

It is a cheat crag in that it has some big gaps: Froggat to Baslow; The Roaches area etc are almost as good.

In reply to Richard Horn:

Yep did Sea Breeze, and Piranha (as a single pitch), and a number of other long ones. And it's not as if I climbing well below my grade either, quite the opposite ! It is just a perfect place for clocking up a bit of mileage.

In reply to Offwidth:

A slight confession though, I avoided Stanage like the plague until 2001, So all but a smattering of routes were done in the last 3 years. Preferred quiter places like wharncliffe.

In reply to Bob Dulieu:

Ah, but most of Stanage is quiet!

Climbing everything below VS at Wharncliffe is taking forever: every time a look there is a new route or a line I've missed. I think someone is sending me some old scripts soon with a few more!

In reply to Tyler:
Yes, we only have Arseangels word for these don't we. If we consider how long it took him to do Satin, then I think we can safely assume that a fair number of these were ballpointed a la Gibson.....

In reply to Offwidth:

Yes I know that NOW! one of my fave crags, just had this thing about it for ages (bad early experiences floundering on wet VDiffs in the early years). Wharncliffe is a funny old place, born in Grenoside so first crag I really blitzed in pre car days. I find I have to drop a grade or two there no matter what guide I use. If you want a bit of climbing history theres an old style wooden wedge still in situ on Ogilvies corner.

In reply to Archangel in Oz: It's just nice to know that there are several of us out there who think that Stanage is such a wonderful place.

I always laugh when people say Stanage is crowded, there's always somewhere empty and worthwhile, always something to do; it doesn't get better than Stanage.

In reply to Michael Hood:

like last weekend; one of the best days of the year, but plenty of room for everyone where I was. Ive only been going here for a few years...well three actually... but Im amazed that we frequently end the day within 100 metres of where we started. And the day consistently delivers a memorable climb or two, and not necessarily on a well worn route.

In reply to JACR:

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. I wondered how long it would take someone to suggest that. Satin is quite hard although Tyler (Barstool) did it second go then repeated it the following weekend just to rub it in, so it can't be that hard!!!

I will work out my stats when I get more time but I have done only 8 routes of 6b out of the 1,000. It took me quite a number of goes to do Mini Micro too.

In reply to Archangel in Oz:
Quite - if he can do it then it can only be top-end 5c.

In reply to sutty: Hi Sutty,

Can you remember which five they were? Did you do Niche Wall (at Stanage End)? and if so, how?

I have been working my way through the blue guide (the one with 444 routes at Stanage) but I have got a bit stuck at 400-and-a-bit.

In reply to Archangel in Oz:

It was 275 VS climbs from 1403 lines in the 2002 guide (slightly under 1 in 5)

See:

http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=108540&v=1#1489569

Its loads easier now to get your 1000 ticks than it was for you: there are 920 climbs upto and including HVS so pick and choose your easiest 80 from 142 E1 lines. Mind you most sensible climbers would dump a few HVS climbs (like Little Things) for an extra few easier top half E1's

In reply to Ropeboy:

Sounds like a good idea?

Guys this is stuff to keep for "your" 60's!

Though being a sad ticker I have been trying for all the E4s in the 2002 graded list - just 10 to go from 26 (I think).

Get a Leffe...