UKC

I thought someone would have done this already, but it has been left to me.

I'll start with a couple of grit horrors:

Saddy, Curbar. It's a short little crack. Jams and gear, then? Not really.

Too Much, Rivelin. E2 6a, 6m, with wires, quite slabby and with a crack. Sounds like a bit of boudlery fun. I wasn't expecting to get pumped to death and then have to do a V4 crux, followed by a hard-enough layback.

Left-hand Pillar Crack, Gardoms. Gain the flake and then it'll be OK? Unless you're an E4 leader and you still fall off onto your belayer's head.

In reply to Jon Stewart: Does Ascent of Man, E4 6a, Roaches Lower Tier count?

In reply to stonemaster: Dunno. I always look at that and I think it looks fairly hard and not particularly well protected, rather like an E3 grit micro-route...

In reply to Jon Stewart: goliath at b/ north. I'll get up that for sure i thought...err no. Alright if you've got a few massive cams but i aint so it was a very scary. Did don do it ground up D'ya think?.

In reply to jimjimjim: b/south i mean...

In reply to Jon Stewart: If it helps, the protection consists of any number of cams, opposed nuts or hexes in the break, completely bomber. But here is the thing, they are at your feet, so a good attentive belayer who is also a fine sprinter, say, in the mould of Mr Bolt would be required... It's not 3 star for nothing.

In reply to Jon Stewart:

Left-hand Pillar Crack sprang to mind when I saw the thread title!
The Toy at Curbar is even harder and equally innocuous looking.
The HVS at Burbage, No Zag or Zig Zag, is the scene of many a comic flier.

In reply to jimjimjim:

The story is that Don walked up to it and started climbing, then asked for a sling to be thrown up to him becaue it was getting a bit thrutchy, finished the climb, moved on and did not name it. That's the story I heard anyway.

For me, Embankment 2 looked very tame until I slipped off it. I've never been so pumped on a slab.

In reply to The Ivanator:

Never looked innocuous to me. Looks like a blank slab, the type that boulders at about font 6c.

In reply to Jon Stewart: Synopsis at Froggatt looked reasonable (I thought) but I never felt comfortable anywhere on the climb and it seemed impossible to fiddle in the protection whilst hanging on desperately.

In reply to Jon Stewart:

Duel.

A slab? Font 8A? Nahhhh. Eassy!

This theory was proven wrong to me Feb '10.

Chris

In reply to Jon Stewart:

Also Barn Owl Crack at Chudleigh Rocks. Hate this climb!

Chris

In reply to Jon Stewart:

I always thought the Russian at Symonds Yat looked pretty innocuous even when it was a known VS sandbag.

In reply to Jon Stewart:
Crack and Corner, roaches upper

Severe my arse, I had to aid the start

<hangs head in shame>

In reply to Jon Stewart:

Yup, it looks like a boulder problem slab, can't say I feel visually daunted by either slabs or boulder problems, I appreciate it is bloody hard, but I don't look up at it and shake with fear ...maybe I should!

In reply to blanchie14c:

So an undercut jamming crack looks innocuous to you as a severe???

In reply to Offwidth:
Yea but the book says 'only 'severe so there simply must be big holds and easy moves (!)

In reply to blanchie14c:

Why? A start on a severe could be 5a if the landing is OK and C&C is 5a to start the (wrong) way most climb it. We still have it as HS 4c on Offwidth. I'd say harder than the similar bottomless Mutiny Crack at Burbage North. Then add a big complex middle section and an obvious overhanging finish: the last words you would use to describe C&C is innocuous looking.

In reply to blanchie14c:

Agreed. Also Crack and Corner on Stanage Popular.

And yes, The Toy.

Hmm, seeing quite a grit theme here!

In reply to Offwidth:
I'm with you on this, it's hard to think of a less innocuous-looking "severe" than this one! One of these days I'll manage to get more than a couple of feet off the ground...

In reply to Offwidth:


I think maybe I'm bit of a grit thug but get mardey when I get me arse spanked by 'just' a severe. Glad to see others having a tough time on it though ^^^^

In reply to Jon Stewart:

Grovel Groove, Bowden. Oh, how I laughed (until it came to my go).

In reply to Jon Stewart:

Grooved Arete on Rannoch Wall. Looks innocuous and leads you on to discover insecure, worrying and frustrating climbing.

First pitch of The End at Polney. Always found it harder than it looks.

Clapham Junction with the direct finish at Polldubh. I suppose at least it looks as steep as it is.

In reply to Jon Stewart:

Fern Groove, Stanage - friendly jam crack? not for me it wasn't

In reply to Jon Stewart:
Usurper at Curbar. Looks a gift at E4, posing as standard tech 5b grit jamming, but oh so isn't

In reply to Carless:

At least Fern crack is overhanging so looks its grade. Blue Lights at Wimberry looks like a severe pleasant jamming route, till you start it.

In reply to sutty:

I'm not sure Fern Crack is overhanging. But Fern Groove looks like a couple of moves up a little groove with a crag for your hands. It turns out to be monstrously technical just to get started in the groove. I for one fell off.

On the same day, I fell off Silica. A little flake through a little roof, how bad could that be? Awful. And I didn't even get as far as the arete, which is trouser-browner, by all accounts.

In reply to Jon Stewart:

Nexus Direct Finish. From below looks like a nice groove to finish off an E1 classic.....but.ain't!

And at the other end of the country and grade;

Oread and Oread By-pass at Bosigran, both up a slabby wall, seemingly with loads of holds and protection but at V Diff have stopped many a S/VS leader in their tracks.

In reply to Iain Peters:

The right hand of those (with the overlap) is fine at VD. Only the left is hard.. and bold...a perfect choice for the category. Better still is that VD with the ramp start over to the right from Alison's Rib.

In reply to Offwidth:

Do you mean Big Top?

In reply to Jon Stewart:

i've always thought the Rasp looks like juggy fun from the bottom. Its not until you get on it that you realise that many of the holds are too big to be jugs so you end up open handing them, which at that angle is hard work.

In reply to Jon Stewart:

....most of the VDiffs at Almscliff.

"Cup and Saucer", particularly.

In reply to Iain Peters:

In reply to jonny2vests: I see your point, but the Rasp, innocuous? But the routes to the left, including the VS The Rat's Tail don't even look steep. But when you get on them, the Higgar double-gravity effect becomes apparent.

In reply to The Scarlet Pimpernel:

No, BT's to the left on a separate small buttress: I think it's either Fasolt or Fafnir. Gallipoli's on Bosigran Ridge is another. Looks pretty straightforward but has a wicked little move which stops many a reasonable climber in their tracks.

In reply to jonny2vests: Higgar Tor...Brrrr

In reply to Iain Peters:

My memory of it, traversing below it on Nexus, is that it looked desperately mean and open.

A reflection, I suspect, of the Oread MC at that period.

In reply to Jon Stewart: Any steepish, mid grade, Culm coast route which looks perfectly pleasant until you get on it and realise that if you pull too hard all the holds peel off in your hands.

In reply to Jon Stewart:

Yeah - Rats Tail is a proper sandbag. To me though, the Rasp is the sort of thing I normally find easy - non-technical stamina fests. So I was quite surprised it was as hard as it was.

In reply to Jon Stewart:

Wall Climb, Curbar. VS featuring a nice easy ramp with lots of holds and gear placements. What could possibly go wrong?

In reply to Jon Stewart: Another Curbar offering- Grey Face VS 5a.

Went to do that last year as I really enjoyed it before to find someone had been for a poo at the bottom of it....Idiots! tbh when I did it last time it was the bit between the crack and the corner a bit unerving... i.e the simple traverse round the corner

In reply to Dave Garnett:

I think that one's quite alright. Rather easier than the nearby Baron's Wall at VS.

In reply to caradoc:

climbed 1 handed smoking a fag.