UKC

I did this yesterday and did not pay much attention to the guidebook before setting off assuming it would be easy to follow.

I know you get straight on to the arête at the bottom from the tree and go up to the overhang. The overhang then took me away from the arête. How quickly are you supposed to get back onto it? I went up above the overhang and got gear in a crack then traversed right to the arête. I gained it about 7 metres above the overhang. Should I have traversed straight back on to it above the overhang? And if I did that where is the gear? Surely you don't have to climb all the way up to that peg around to the right and the micro cam slot on the left?

I have a feeling I didn't do the route quite as it was intended but I also think I did the most logical line but perhaps that is why it is called silly arête?

In reply to The Grist:

Sounds about right above the overlap, you gradually trend right to meet the arete quite a way above the overlap. I thought there were a fair few micros on the upper slab for gear.

I thought the lower section trended right from the tree into a slightly sketchy shallow groove.

jk

In reply to The Grist:
I would not worry, you did the hardest part which is the start imho straight up the arete from the tree

In reply to The Grist:
Hi, think we must have been chatting at Ynys the night before. I can't remember for sure and my logbook is blank but I don't recall it being mega bold or moving over to the arête straight away. There seemed to be a fairly logical and not too difficult line to follow straight up and perhaps eventually merging into the arête, can't remember!

In reply to Misha: Hi Misha, Yes it was probably me. I was at the CC hut. The thing that confused me slightly is the old tremadog guide which I have basically suggests staying on the arête the whole way except the overhang. The newer ground up select guide suggests joining the arête higher up above the overhang. Photos I have seen online suggest that the ground up description is the one that is usually followed.

In reply to The Grist:
Yes, with the memorable ice climbing story! I suspect ground up is right, that's what I used and don't recall thinking the line was wrong. There's the new Tremadog guide as well of course.

In reply to The Grist:
Youve done it the way some people do it - most trend left into a little groove of Pincushion from the tree to get some gear in first btw. Above the overlap I did what you did and trended up and right diagonally and got some wires in.

I have chipped in to a similar thread in the past when another contributor swore blind there was no gear above the overlap until the peg - so maybe heading straight back to the arete is sometimes done.

In reply to The Grist:


If, when above the overhang, you went slightly up left to put a runner in a crack on Pincushion, then went diagonally right to the arete, then some might say that's going off route, and that you should just go (somewhat boldly) diagonally right to the arete.

In reply to jon:

I seem to remember getting a couple of RPs in just above the roof before heading up and right back to the arete. There's good gear either just when you reach the arete or a move or two up it.

ALC

In reply to The Grist: having played piano with my fingers for a while, I clearly remember moving right to the arete once my feet were on the small finger holds. Probably no more than a couple of mts above the overlap. It was then that the fun started......the heavens truly opened and i was left stranded on the arete for a couple of hours with my last gear just below the overlap, waiting for the route to dry. Word had got to my mates at the cafe that I was stranded and they duly came out and spent a good while ripping the mickey out of me. After topping out I returned to Eric's and he gave me a free cuppa and flapjack. Nice one!!

In reply to manumartin:

Eric's a star, isn't he. I went down to Tremadog one evening while living in Capel, with a mate, specifically to do Silly Arête. When we got to the foot of the route we found that neither of us had thought to put a rope in. I went back down to Eric and asked if I could borrow one, not expecting something new and shiny, but at least something that resembled a climbing rope. Eric fished out a length of something covered in oil and cobwebs from the barn and proudly handed it to me. I don't think either Dave or me have ever tried so hard not to fall off!

In reply to The Grist: For such a classic route its is a little contrived in places... the proper start is off the branch and up the arete right from the start... not up the slab left of the chimney. I found this section the trickiest and boldest part of the route. Its a little arbitry as to when to go right after the overlap. Most get a runner in Pincushion and then head right to the arete but I'm sure plenty have forgone this and stepped right immediately

In reply to Rory Shaw:


No indeed, nobody has climbed that yet, have they? One of the blankest bits of Tremadog.

In reply to jon: I think after considering all the replies I did the wimps version of silly arête. There is a route called silly billy to the side which goes at e2 5c. I think i did part of that and part of silly arete. I think I need to go back and do it again now in better style.

Whatever route I did it was still good fun and the roof was surprisingly straight forward.

In reply to The Grist:


That's the main thing!