UKC

Well, RT seems a bit quiet on climbing chat this "fine" Monday morning....and, as I'd rather think about the weekend's activities than work, I'll resist temptation no longer...

Spent yesterday morning at Dinas Mot (for the 1st time would you believe) and was amazed at the expanse of clean slabs. As it was our first visit we'd decided to do The Direct and we were not disappointed. Stunning route. Struggling to think of any VS's I've enjoyed as much. Couldn't quite figure out why the second pitch is supposed to be bold (it isn't) but lovely climbing, never desparate though a tad polished.

Sitting in the bowl-like stance above this, bringing my partner up, I idly watched someone lead right wall over on the Cromlech and wondered why the little stick-men on the Llanberis boulders way down below couldn't see the futility of what they were doing as opposed to taking on the real challenges of the magnificient routes above their heads.

The fun of the airy hand traverse and then, to cap it off, the technicality of the 5b final pitch. A bridging/layback struggle to start it off (which I can imagine is the scene of a few epic struggles) and then big moves up a huge flake to reach the finishing groove.

Even the downclimb seemed designed to round off a great route.

A common thought must be whether the top pitch is really *just* VS but it's just such fun that all thoughts quickly slip away and you realise you've just done one of the best routes in the country. If you enjoyed it and climbed it well, the grade is almost irrelevant. The Superdirect and Diagonal now beckon!

In reply to JonC:

i thought it was supposed to be HVS? at least in the p. williams, but i dont have it at hand..

In reply to Kenny Stocker:

It's VS in the main Llaberis guide. Although the top pitch is hard for VS - and the hard moves are not that well protected - it sort of doesn't feel serious enough for HVS. Anyway, it is a real laugh and nicely tops off the route. Just think you need to feel comfortable with 5b moves which your average VS leader may not be?

In reply to JonC:

Apart from good gear at head height unless my memory fails me + flat ledge to land on.

In reply to AndyM:

Think your memory is failing

There's a bomber nut right at your feet just above the ledge but nothing else until you get to the flat ledge a few moves up. If you fell off the crux and bounced off the ledge (quite likely) you'd disappear a fair way down below the ledge And you're quite a few metres above that last nut by the time you are on the ledge so you're quite aware of the result of blowing the crux by the time you get there.

But I agree it isn't really serious, hence my comments.

In reply to JonC:

I agree - very fine route, but did anyone catch that fellow upending his vehicle in the Pass on Sunday? Top entertainment, and a completely solo effort too as far as I could see.

Also, WTF was the weather on Sunday? Get up in Llanberis - glance up the Pass - wall of cloud. Decide on the Lleyn - raining, Tremadog - raining, Gogarth - raining, slate - minging, back to the Pass in disgust - sun! And apparently it was the same all day. I don't think I've ever seen that before.

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

Yes, what was that weather all about yesterday?

We were on Dinas Mot in the Pass all morning (until about 2pm) and it was clearly rainig at both ends of the Pass. Somehow the cloud was kind of splitting and leaving a gap of blue sky where we were. Very windy though! It was just starting to drizzle when we left the crag early pm but some madmen were still setting off up routes.

Missed the bit with the car. What did he do? Drive off road and upend in a ditch?

Spent Sat pm at Trem - OK but rained on us a bit at the end of the day. YOu could feel the humidity building up all pm.

In reply to JonC:

No, no. Anyone can upend a car in a ditch. The sequence as I heard it was screech of brakes - bang into wall - car upside down in middle of road.

Vaguely disturbing for a moment - door burst open and evidently lifeless body spilling out on to the road. Seemed to resolve itself eventually into a sleeping bag, though. As best I could tell from the stance of Phantom Rib, anyway.

In reply to JonC:

Yeah - from the Grochan, we could see clouds spilling over Crib Goch like a waterfall - it was really amazing. The sun was shining onto the clouds making them look very eerie and spectacular. It looked as though the clouds were moving very fast, and as though they were going to move over us in minutes, but as they hit the pass, they seemed to evaporate so that we were in a pool of sunlight, surrounded by storm clouds all day!

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

lol - must have been out of sight, unfortunately

I'd have thought a VS would be a little unchallenging for you?

In reply to mich:

yes, very weird wasn't it - the clouds were flying over - quite disorienting whenever you looked up whilst belaying

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

missed the start of it saw it coming to halt, many people
about, we found for an ambulance (got fire, police as well!)
but obvisouly no one hurt as the group righted the car
quite quickly.



wierd wasnt it we decied on the pass (grochan too), friend went to tremadoc great day but tired so only did a bit.

In reply to JonC:

When I did Direct route we had set off in sunshine, by the time we got to the final 5b pitch the wind had picked up a lot and it was starting to rain. I found it thrilling yet quite scary in those conditions.

By the time we started the decent the rain was torential, that bit was horrible.

The last pitch I would say is worth HVS.

In reply to lithos:

ooops phoned !

In reply to JonC:

Well PR proved rather too challenging for me in 1988, and we were a little tired after our efforts of the previous day (walking up to Cloggy that is).

Earlier on Sunday, btw, we walked up to Moel y Gest Quarry. Driven off by a nesting peregrine, but it didn't look as bad as it is painted in the guide. Nice setting too. Bastard thrash up the hill to it, though. Anyone been there?

Another incident from the day was having what appeared to be a senior member of the Climbers Club (with a couple of aspirant members in tow) decide to use the same belay as mine at the top of the route and put his sling under mine which was over a flake/boulder. Never mind not asking me if I minded or disturbing my belay whilst in use, his sling was then pulling up and lifting mine off. I asked him to be careful etc and things sorted themselves out, plus I had another (better positioned) anchor. However, I was fairly surprised by this behaviour. Not deliberately unpleasant, just a bit rude (in terms of etiquette), potentially dangerous and rather unthinking.

In reply to JonC:

. However, I was fairly surprised by this behaviour. Not deliberately unpleasant, just a bit rude (in terms of etiquette), potentially dangerous and rather unthinking.

I think you've just read the application form!

In reply to JonC:

Sounds a bit crap, I agree. There did seem to be some pretty hideous event going on at Ynys. Anonymous is talking crap though - after all I'm a CC member and I'm never rude.

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

It honestly wasn't meant to be a dig at the CC. Rather strangely, one of the CC members there was a really sound bloke I'd met in the alps two seasons back so it was nice to catch up. It was more the feeling that this "old hand" and apparently "in charge" of aspirants had possibly lost touch with some simple values. However, as a group, they all seemed really friendly and, well, quite good climbers really.

In reply to lithos:
yer a pair of jammy bastards.
trem was great though, slab climbing in strong winds and persistent drizzle makes for a memorable day. we'd have beaten the rain if I hadn't spent an hour on the first pitch

In reply to JonC:

Its sad I know but the direct is one of my best climbs to date. Did it the other weekend and only the fourth multi pitch route I have ever done. Was really chuffed to get up it, especially the final pitch.

Mind you then went over to the Grochan and tried Brant Direct and couldn't get twelve feet off the ground ... really burst my bubble.

In reply to Giles Thurston:

what's sad about that?

terrific route for your 4th multi-pitch

I've been climbing pretty constantly for 7 or 8 years and only just got around to doing it. Now that's sad!

In reply to Giles Thurston:

The direct route is one of my favourite routes, especially the traverse, coz i lead it!

i also did brant direct, i 2nd it and found it very hard for the grade (pumpy) it is HVS just loads of 5a moves. brant is definetly worth doing.

In reply to JonC:

Yeah, probably didn't put that very well. Doing the route wasn't sad, more the fact that at 29 I have only just got round to getting my finger out of my ar$e and starting to climb! All those wasted years!

In reply to Giles Thurston:

well, erm, again, I would say, don't worry - check out my profile and count back 7 or 8 years....and I think I beat you there too.

climbing harder each year but it's a slow process..but no downward spiral yet!

In reply to Andy W:

In my view, The Direct on the Mot and Brant Direct are the kind of benchmark routes that more or less define their grades, which in my view are VS and HVS respectively.