UKC

Forget the best route at your local wall, what's the best in the world? Regardless of style etc I just want to know your contender for the single best route in the world.

So I will refrain from suggesting the Pink Spottys at Mile End as a starter and go with Bears Reach at Lovers Leap.

Whats next on the list?

In reply to sparkass:

http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.php?i=212937

In reply to sparkass:

The route I'd love to do more than any other is the Peuterey Inte'grale.

In reply to The Pylon King:

That's Bonner's Route - look at the photos of the route to the right - it looks even worse, photo no. 1 is a classic.

In reply to sparkass: High exposure - the gunks new york

In reply to sparkass: It's a big ask, isn't it, and bound to yield some tongue-in-cheek replies. But this has to be mine - so amazing I had to write about it. http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=645

In reply to sparkass:

At lower grades the Johnny Vegas/ Going Nuts/ Solar Slab link up at Red Rock NV is hard to beat. Multiple routes but its not cheating as its one line up a big cliff. Its given 5.7 these days but would be HS 4b in UK money.

In reply to sparkass:

Surely it's got to be something like the Nose on El Cap?

In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

Good shout. On the other end of the spectrum how about Heaven Crack at Stanage?

In reply to sparkass:

Will people only contribute if a ridiculous/offensive comment is made....?

In reply to sparkass: I want to contribute but I don't feel like I have enough experience at brilliant routes.

I really enjoyed yesterday's dreams at Wyntour's leap. there are two very contrasting halves of the route which make it feel really complete. that said it's a trad route with two bolts in it and it doesn't provide great aspect throughout the climbing.

The most complete experience I had was the old man of hoy having gotten up to catch the ferry 4 days beofre I was due to get married on main island to go to hoy and then getting down late in the day before being bough a whisky by a local as a congrats on getting married and climbing the old man. That said the rock isn't briliant fun and if any of teh pitches were single pitch round the corner i would not rave about them.

I haven't done a route yet sufficiently brilliant to warrant being the best anywhere.

In reply to sparkass: Well, I've been lucky enough over the years to get on some fairly fine big mountain routes - Badile N Ridge, Comici on the Cima Grande (with a more competent partner) and Pombie SE Face on the Pic du Midi. I've also done High Exposure at the Gunks (as mentioned above) but for the best half-day "fix" it's Dream of White Horses for me.

In reply to Martin Hore: Three Pebble Slab will be along any minute.

In reply to Martin Hore:

Dream of White Horses isn't even the best route of its grade in Wen Zawn

In reply to AlanLittle:

That's a matter of opinion. I'd say it is, wonderful as the other HVS climbs are they are much more conventional.

In reply to AlanLittle)

Yes, good situations but pretty average climbing. Possibly the most overrated route on the most overrated crag in the world.

In reply to sparkass: It's hard not to just pick a route out of Classic, Hard or Extreme Rock, or one that has great personal associations...

I'll put forward, though I'm not good enough to climb it, Cenotaph Corner - it's a classic route up a spectacular feature in a spectacular location; what's not to like! To quote the UKC logbooks: "The line of the country, and a milestone in every British climber's career"

In reply to David Ponting:

I would venture to suggest that whatever the best route in the world is, the chances of its being in our little island are slight.

It's a fool's game, of course (not to say it's not fun).

The Nose, Serpentine and Astroman would be three popular contenders, I'd imagine.

jcm

In reply to Robert Durran:

That's harsh! I can't imagine that would be most people's impression of Dream of White Horses or of Gogarth in general. Were you having a bad day when you did it? I first did it in the early 80's and I've been back 4 or 5 times since with different partners. Never fails to be a really memorable day.

It would be interesting to hear where your vote does go for "Best Route Anywhere".

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

Although red 25 at Roche aux Sabots would surely also be a contender.

jcm

In reply to Robert Durran:

Its not on Stanage is it?

That sounds like a proper adventure though - it's on my to do list for sure.

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

Great shout I'll vouch for the Nose and a trip to try Astroman is in the pipeline. I reckon there are some routes in the UK that do contend however. How about Moonraker? not done it but it looks a beaut! and I prefer Red19 so you're wrong!

In reply to sparkass:

Absolutely not. There are dozens of gritstone climbs of the same standard that are just as good. It's best described as very pleasant/enjoyable, if a little worn. But it's oh so short. If only there was a bit more of it.

In reply to Martin Hore:

I experienced varied moves and rock angles, thoughtful route finding and protection: all-in-all sustained interest in one of the most spectacular postions I've climbed in at the grade. I think it underwhelms some extreme leaders who find it a path.

In reply to Martin Hore:


It is a very good route on a very good crag. That doesn't stop both route and crag being massively overrated by some people.


No. It was a fun day out.


No idea. Almost certainly one I have not done. But Dream of White Horses is a long way off being even one of the best ones I have done

In reply to sparkass: It can only be personal based on experience and the type of climbing. Bears Reach is a jolly romp, but surely there are better even at lovers Leap at that standard, eg Corrugation Corner. Then at another extreme we have Peuterey Integrale suggested: a French friend of mine who has done it 5 times would probably agree. I think Dream is hack when compared with something like Shrike. Doubtless the Nose has routes that qualify if you are up to it and depending on how you do them. I've had fun racking my memories, particularly from the Dolomites where the French route on the Crozzon di Brenta takes the bag of buttered buns for me along with the Via Graffer opposite, but then I remembered a route which I thought absolutely brilliant, but which did not wildly impress those I did it with, the Tour des Jorasses, Diedre Sud. But then how can I compare it with Motörhead or Septuamania. Or,Route Major or, or. And in my old age no 6 or is it 7 on the Orange circuit at Buthiers!

In reply to sparkass:

Not a route I have done, it is however my ultimate goal route.
http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.php?i=74226
Ideally I would do Astroman first

In reply to sparkass:

West Ridge of the Salbitchen

In reply to Andy Nisbet:

I was about to nominate the south ridge!

In reply to sparkass: Can only really talk about things I've done but how about:

This for sport .... No mans land, Buoux

This for trad.... The Golden Mile, Chee Tor

This for winter...... Orion Face Direct, the Ben

And this for mountains (this is the weak one).... Forbes Arete

In reply to David Bennett:


So you'd take a pitch of grubby limestone over say... The Brandler Hasse?

In reply to Andy Nisbet:
Ooooh, I am with you Andy!!!

In reply to Heike:

There's a pitch on it which is truly memorable. A thin flake high up with two or three bolts for aid to start. You look at these bolts 2m apart on a blank wall and it looks impossible (but it isn't). Then you layback up and over the flake with it booming as you do because it's so thin (but at least 20m high). Hans (the Hut guardian) persuaded me to do it, and no excuses were allowed - I didn't have a guidebook.

"How do I get there?" Follow the via ferrata - I've built one.
"How do I find it in the dark?" Follow me; I'm guiding it tomorrow
"I don't have a route description" Same answer, except that after he'd done pitch one, he went off like a bullet and disappeared.

It was really a bit too hard for my client and I was only an aspirant guide. But Hans wasn't having any excuses.

The bivouac wasn't that uncomfortable.

In reply to Andy Nisbet: Left Wall