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Lofoten Classics 2.0

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 TobyA 16 Sep 2005
The new Lofoten Rockfax is out - what do people think?

My first comment - Rapellruta at VS 5a? Your having a laugh! Its an excellent excellent route but it's about HS. Really - I'm rubbish and it was easy.

Also on the Goat, I'm not sure if Forsida is as good as everyone makes out. It's nice but not "THE Lofoten classic."

Vestpillaren Direct at E2 5c is excellent as I've done it with out falling off and now I can up my profile onsight grade to E2 with official Rockfax/RockandRun approval (remember kids, it's not the having fun that counts just the grade). But really it's just lots of E1. We weren't even sure if the crux is 5c, maybe just hard 5b. I quite like the old grade of 5a/b for pitch 6 - I led it and thought it was pretty tricky, slabby but quite tenuous - but maybe split grades are silly. I'm also very sceptical about pitch 3 being 5c. I've done it twice (lead and second) and its no harder than p.2 which is 5b.

I fell off Blåklokka many times having onsighted lots of other Lofoten E1s, but then my partner just pointed out I'm crap and actually it was fine. So maybe its fine at E1. Putting those routes in but not the Paradiset classics seems a bit funny.

Haven't done the Reine slab routes, but why are the pitch grades in Norwegian?

I thought the "quite testing" top pitch of Apple Cake Arete was harder than anything on Lys og Skygge which seems to suggests their grades aren't quite right. I think that top pitch could be 5a not 4c, but VS still for the overall route.

None of this really matters as its such a good place you'll be inspired to climb better than normal anyway, but its a good chance to reminisce.
 Chris Craggs Global Crag Moderator 16 Sep 2005
In reply to TobyA:
Thanks for the comments - might tweek the MiniGuide with those.
I thought Vestpillaren had two 5c moves on it (one on p3 and one on p7) - but I'm old and knackered! E1 5c would have sounded wrong hence the given grade - maybe we will stick it back at E2 5b.
Re Forsida - have you no soul?

Cheers

Chri
OP TobyA 16 Sep 2005
In reply to Chris Craggs:

> Re Forsida - have you no soul?

Perhaps my soul has just been to expanded by the wealth of other climbing on Lofoten. It was my second visit to the Goat. The first time I had done the 1910 route with my missus so perhaps the magic had worn off... By the way, the first move on that is horribly hard. I used a sling clipped to a friend to get off the ground and saw Robert Jasper (Yes - M14 and 8a on the North Face of Eiger Robert Jasper) think twice. His wife slipped off seconding him - and I think she climbs about 8a as well (and was very friendly incidently).

Is there any plans to put any of the routes in on Trolls Cathedral (the big crag over looking the road down to the campsite at Paradiset)? The Spurven/Colibrien link with the direct crack pitch, is probably second only to Vestpillaren for the routes I've done there. Really really good climbing.

Has anyone done the Ape just by the Kallestrand campground? It gets something hardish in the book like 6, but I suspect it would be middling VS on Yorkshire grit.

One final more serious point. Are the locals happy with people camping below Gandalf Wall? There was a lot of shit and paper around when I was last there (2003) plus general rubbish. A real shame. Not necessarily climbers, but as the local commune has actually provided a free of charge campground at Kalle with running water and compost loo - I think climbers should be pointed that way first. From it you can easily walk to all the great routes that aren't in topo (Trolls Cathedral, Paradiset, Rum and Cola, Mosquito Pillar etc.) and I can't imagine hitching round to Hennigsvaer would be too difficult? People could probably get rides from other climbers on the campsite.
OP TobyA 19 Sep 2005
In reply to TobyA: Surely there must be a few other Lofoten fans out there with something to say on this issue? Perhaps friday evening was the wrong time to start the thread...

Remember if you have already bought the miniguide you get the updated version for free, so check it out and see what you think.
 tobyfk 19 Sep 2005
In reply to TobyA:
> (In reply to TobyA) Surely there must be a few other Lofoten fans out there with something to say on this issue?

No, despite cogitating on this quite a lot, I continue to not give a sh*t whether Vestpillaren is E1 or E2, 5b or 5c! Anyway, rightfully these long granite climbs should get YDS grades. Ed Webster's 5.10- is bang-on.

A much more interesting topic is of course the correct grade for that finger crack at Paradiset, which I saw given E4 6a in Climber. You onsighted that one too!
OP TobyA 19 Sep 2005
In reply to tobyfk:

> A much more interesting topic is of course the correct grade for that finger crack at Paradiset, which I saw given E4 6a in Climber. You onsighted that one too!

I got some stick from the writer of that article for suggesting that the grade might have been wrong. He suggested that I go and repeat one of his E7s on Gogarth before criticising his grades. I think he missed my point rather.

I was chatting to someone recently about Doseth Crack and he reckoned E2 5c, so we're not the only ones to think it was not nearly as hard as the guide makes out.
 tobyfk 19 Sep 2005
In reply to TobyA:

> I was chatting to someone recently about Doseth Crack and he reckoned E2 5c, so we're not the only ones to think it was not nearly as hard as the guide makes out.

That's a bit harsh I think. I remember it as the hardest move of that trip. My recollection is that you only thought it couldn't be 6a on the basis that you never done one, but perhaps weren't factoring in the excellent encouragement and beta you had received from the leader

Anyway, certainly not E4. Again doesn't Webster actually give it 5.11-, which seems about right?
martin k 19 Sep 2005
In reply to TobyA: yeah, as far as the grade of west pillar direc tgoes, you get an E1 leader on there and they'll probably have a right laugh...in the wrong way! E2 and some 5c and harder if you do it in the full on sun.

as for the reine slabs...sea breezes is good, and reasonable value at the grade. american tourist would most likely be meat and drink to anyone born and raised in tuolumne, but i thought it was an unprotected nightmare...in fact i bailed out before getting to what is commonly thought of as the crux pitch...E4 5b...blimey!

cheers!
OP TobyA 19 Sep 2005
In reply to martin k:
> (In reply to TobyA) yeah, as far as the grade of west pillar direc tgoes, you get an E1 leader on there and they'll probably have a right laugh...in the wrong way! E2 and some 5c and harder if you do it in the full on sun.

I'm a really a VS leader (with a few HVSs and E1s of routes that suit my style) and I didn't think anything on it was too hard. It was lovely and sunny when we did it.
 Heike 19 Sep 2005
In reply to Chris Craggs:

I am glad you put the Reine Slabs and the Goat in as they are great climbs - did them last year on our trip to Lofoten. The Reine Slabs were so funny. You park your car, undo your rope and start climbing - excellent! Just the sort of walk-in I like.

Hmmm, love to go back!

I have no opinion on the grades - doesn't really matter wether it's 5b or c or E1 or 2 - the Vestpillaren is one of my favourite climbs.
 Jimmy D 19 Sep 2005
In reply to TobyA:

For Vestpillaren Direct I'd vote for E1 5b. At risk of seemimg like a sandbagger I'd say no single pitch taken alone would get more than HVS 5b as it's so friendly and well protected. Long though, so maybe E1 overall.

Much as I like my Rockfaxes I do somtimes think they could do with a bit more care with editing/proof-reading. For example, flights don't really cost £3,000 (although maybe the Rockfax boys habitually go first class, and assume we'll all expect to do the same).
 Chris Craggs Global Crag Moderator 20 Sep 2005
In reply to Jimmy D:
Thanks for the feedback - the few bloopers will be corrected shortly - one advantage of on-line guide!

Chris
In reply to Chris Craggs:

New version 2.1 is now up - http://www.rockfax.com/publications/miniguides/item.php?id=44

A few grade changes, UK grades for the Reine slab and 10-fold reduction in air fares!

Alan
 Jody 20 Sep 2005
OP TobyA 20 Sep 2005
In reply to Alan James - UKC:

Chris and Alan,

It's great that you listen to us all but now the Vestpillaren description makes less sense! It is given E2 5b overall but then in the text it says "nothing harder than E1 5c"! Sorry, but it looks likes we need a version 2.2...

 Skyfall 22 Sep 2005
In reply to Alan James - UKC:

Alan, I paid good money for the 1st edition of this. Do I get the new one for free or a reduced price even?
In reply to JonC:

Like everyone who bought the first edition, you can just download the second edition without paying anything.

Alan
 Skyfall 22 Sep 2005
In reply to Alan James - UKC:

Doesn't work for me. Have emailed via the mini-guide log in pages.

Jon
In reply to JonC:

I think you are using a new email address. The one with your miniguides account is different to the one on your forums profile.

Alan

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