UKC

Had tne unfortunate experience of downclimbing the Idwal Slabs Descent this weekend. Done it a few times before, but it always gets me. Basically where is the best abseil point? I could spot nothing I would abb off so....

I know I am a coward but seriously, the descent overshadowed Tennis Shoe for scariness.

In reply to Kid Spatula: follow the arrows off to the left then whe you are over lokinmgt he gull theres a nob of rock that you can throw your rope around and away you go

In reply to Kid Spatula:

There are at least 2 rock pinnacles right by the descent, that you can ab off if for some reason you can't downclimb. No need to leave tat either, just loop the rope round and ab off both ends then pull down - the pinnacles are very very smooth from overuse.

In reply to Kid Spatula: if you do the continuation you can walk doen to the right instead of the normal walk to the left

In reply to Kid Spatula:
Got to agree with everyone here, if you didn't see the abseil spikes maybe you must downclimbed in the wrong place. From the top of the slabs its up and left till you can't really go much further right in the nick of the gulley. Slight drop down to the downclimb/abbing platform. I'm fairly sure I began the downclimb holding onto the abbing point.

In reply to Kid Spatula:

ab off!?

its a fricking scramble at best. you shouldn't be up there unless you can look after yourself.

In reply to Kid Spatula: Go as far up (yes up) the descent route as far as you can, then when it tops out, there is a brownish knobbly slab split by a deep crack to down climb. Facing out from this slab with ther big drop to your left, there should be 2 obvious flakes to your right as I recall. 1 virtually level with you and a 2nd at a silghtly higher level reached by an easy scramble. Both well used by instructors and guides lowering/abseiling clients off.

To down climb - the more you traverse left, facing into the rock, the easier it becomes.

Not a techn ically hard descent, but potentially lethal if you do get it wrong.

In reply to Kid Spatula: dont even give the ego merchants the time of day on here, plenty of folk have died getting off Idwal, the skill is getting off in good style aswell, youve got every right to get up and off

remember really good climbers are the only ones who will look down on you and really good climbers dont carry much weight which means they cant throw a punch x

In reply to Kid Spatula:

Climb up javelin and walk off right, it isn't a bad walk off from there...

In reply to Fawksey:


Indeed - youtube.com/watch?v=1m2HJpGtv70&

Poor little lamb

In reply to Dom Whillans:

ah yes. I was wondering how long it would for this one to appear.

In reply to Fawksey:

I disagree. *Really* good climbers have nothing to proove by putting down those less experience than them, and so will offer advice and help.

Your sentence describes those who *think* that they are really good climbers.

In reply to Alun: I stand corrected!

In reply to Kid Spatula:
I have found the descent hard too, it is certainly not a 'scramble at most'

In reply to eraven99:
>

It isn't 'hard', just intimidating and exposed. As has been said not a good place to fall. I've heard suggestions of *several* fatalities here - how true is this?

I agree its perfectly possible to set up an ab from the spikes at the top if someone wants to, but they are getting very worn. There was a thread about putting an ab bolt here on UKC about a year ago.

In reply to eraven99 and Alun:

I met a german climber at the roaches who came out with a great expression - "climbing is not like eating cakes" apply that to getting off idwal...

i don't claim to be a great climber, at best i'm a bimbly, but certain core skill sets are necessary to perform in the mountains. abseiling is a skill, but not one needed for the idwal descent in normal conditions.

In reply to Kid Spatula:

I've come down that descent something like a dozen times in my climbing career, and don't remember anything about it particularly, except having to take care. There was certainly never any suggestion of abseiling. Nor have I ever seen anyone abseil there. I'm wondering how people fare on some of the much harder classic descent routes. My memory - which plays tricks, admittedly! - is that the descent from the Grochan is much more demanding. Ditto that from the West Wing of the Mot (Jammed Boulder Gully? or something) Frankly terrifying. Even the descent down the west side of the Nose of the Mot is quite demanding, especially near the bottom. In a different class of seriousness again is the dangerous descent route to the foot of Amphitheatre Wall on Craig yr Ysfa. In the Lakes the descents from Gimmer are, as I remember, much scarier than idwal; and Scafell of course is classically serious by any route except walking right round the back. The descent from Pillar by Slab and Notch is OK (about the same as the Idwal Slabs), but like Idwal, very solid and secure, though a lot more exposed.

In reply to Kid Spatula:

Then of course there is a lot of very scary, genuinely serious descent routes in the Cuillin e.g. Sgurr Thearlaich, Bidean Druim nan Ramh, An Dorus, Am Basteir and Clach Glas. Even the Tourist Route on Sgurr Nan Gillean (though the easiest way off the mountain) is scarier, and possibly more dangerous, than the Idwal Slabs.