UKC

In reply to Jon Stewart: I fell off above the old bolt a few years ago and went a LONG way. The tat and the bolt held tho .

In reply to Owen W-G:

We always used to pull one rope though to use as the belay.


Chris

In reply to Owen W-G:

1. 50m won't reach the tree, I did with 60s, I doubt 55 would, maybe use another rope at the top.

2. I abbed off the tree and cleaned so my partner could lead it. No problem.

3. The top section was definitely a bit "out there", can't totally locate the photo from memory though.

In reply to Owen W-G:

3. He is, I was there. He didn't really spend any time looking for gear, he did it the old skool way... I.e place the odd runner and get on with it. I think the chap is pretty good like.

I don't recall anything on darious feeling bold. Run out at the top but nothing major and certainly not bold. It's got tons of gear, you will probably run out of gear by the top anyway.

In reply to Owen W-G: We were lucky in that there was a load of abseilers ready to go at the top who allowed us to use their set up to belay off. I would say the tree is a good 30m back from the edge of the cliff if not more. We abed off the tree / station at the top of Debauchery which for me was very scary.

In reply to Owen W-G:


Yes - I think! That looks like the very thin flake near the top of Robert Brown in the background, and the clump of grass looks a bit like where you stand to reach up and clip the bolt. That would mean he's at the top of the left-facing flake/groove (which you can't actually see from this direction) with gear available if you need it. At a guess the photo was taken from the belay ledge on Original Route.

In reply to Owen W-G: I think you would need two 55m ropes. 60 metre ideally. When I did it I pulled through one rope to use as the belay. My mate climbed on one and tied into the other about 15 metres up.

If you both want to lead it you could do so then pull both ropes up. You could then ab down from the ab point (which is not on top of the route). Your mate could then lead it on your gear and you second him. Or you stash a rope at the top to use to set up an abseil and use it to abseil and strip the route.

In reply to The Grist: I fell off Darius last night so am well placed to answer this. We had 2 55m (ish) ropes, which were too short a) to lower off, b) ab the whole route. I think 60s would be enough to get you to the ground but as Jon said, a pre-placed length of rope would be ideal. If not you can reach a 2 peg belay at the first ledge on Darius (just off to the right). There's some tat equalising the pegs but you might want to replace it as we abbed off it twice.

The route is very well protected, there's gear everywhere, I took 20 qds and had used about 15 of them by the time I got 35/40 metres up.

Great route.

In reply to Bart Shaw: Oh and the biggest tree is about 10 metres back, but there's a smaller but still amply proportioned tree slightly closer and off to the side to ab off.

In reply to Owen W-G:
I think you could just reach the top with 50s but it'd be tight. 55s would be ok but you wont reach the big tree. With 60s you will reach it to belay by untying from one rope, but possibly not to ab unless you have something to extend a sling on the tree by q few metres.
When I first tried it in 2010 (another big fall on to the bolt, Ive been back since to do it cleanly), we did exactly as you describe with two of us doing it and abbing for gear. We found some nuts we were happy enough to trust right by the edge of the crag. However obviously the big tree would be better
I think the perspective probably tricking you in that picture. You can lace it all the way up until past the top crux, but generally it is sustained and very long, so it helps greatly to run it out by a few metres between quickdraws and just make sure what you place is bomber. The holds are generally good and the gear very obvious so this is generally achievable. Be very careful with rope drag. The weight alone of the ropes is a nightmare near the top.

In reply to Si dH:
PS not certain about the photo but if anywhere it is on the bit just approaching the mid-height scoop after you have crossed debauchery.

The ropes ran through my belay plate as my mate topped out with 50s on it. I think we left a rope on the Debauchery ab to pull up and use to make a belay with

In reply to Si dH:

Don't think so. The photo is taken looking diagonally downwards; beyond and below the climber you can see the common belay ledge of Robert Brown, Debauchery and Delicatessen - at least I assume that's what all the shrubbery is on. Delicatessen traverses horizontally right from this ledge to cross Darius at the mid-height scoop you mention. Therefore the climber must be well above this.

In reply to Owen W-G: I've climbed the route as a single pitch on 50m ropes no problem, you just have to belay on the lip of the crag (awkward to abseil off) rather than walking back to the tree. If you want to abseil and strip it then an extra rope would be useful. The other option would be to abseil off from the top of Debauchery and your mate lead it on your gear.

Don't stress about it being run out, there's probably more gear on Darius than you can carry!