UKC

In this, the final video of a five part series called 'Hand Picked' from Marmot, we see Lucy Creamer in action In the Avon Gorge in Bristol.

"In this series of films presented by Marmot, five of Britain's best climbers: Leah Crane, Neil Mawson, Jack Geldard, Steve McClure and Lucy Creamer, all famous for pushing hard and bagging top ascents of their own, showcase some of their Hand Picked favourite places to climb on their home soil, with routes that climbers aspiring to push their grades into the E-numbers and V-numbers can enjoy..."

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=5908

In reply to UKC Articles: Nice video. Just to say to anyone with no experience of Avon who is inspired to try those routes - don't do Jasper. It used to be a lovely route, but these days it's as polished as any route at Avon.

In reply to UKC Articles: great vid, love this series

In reply to John2: I'd say it's the single most polished route in Avon. Utterly disgusting. It'd be fantastic if it wasn't but it is... so many other routes she could have chosen that beat the pants off Jasper - Simian right next door for one...

In reply to mike kann: It was a lovely route before the groups began to toprope it.

In reply to mike kann:

Also hideously polished!

In reply to Tom Last: And just like 5b wall to Jasper's left but, unless I am mistaken, I doubt top-roping groups are responsible for that.

In reply to UKC Articles: I must say that my favourite bit was the wonderfully honest moment when the noise of the traffic was allowed through.

In reply to Tom Last: True, although it's still a much better route. How about Ffoegs folly next to that. Super polish on the first bit I grant you but then awesome for the second pitch.

In reply to Tom Last: I utterly agree, and tough for 5a! Nice route though

In reply to UKC Articles: Lucy Creamer seems like an utterly lovely person

In reply to UKC Articles:
Really good to see such positivity about Avon /limestone trad and some interesting insights into injury.

In reply to UKC Articles: definitely have to question the choice of Jasper in there but otherwise a great video showing off some great routes! Probably could have replaced Jasper with one of the more adventurous Main Wall outings.

In reply to UKC Articles:

Very enjoyable but I was surprised at the route choices since they didn't give the unique Avon experience. All were steep crack type routes which are found throughout the country. Where were the exposed intricate wanderings through seas of overlaps that make Avon so unique? I'd have liked Lucy to feature one of the main wall routes such as Malbogies, Krapps, Lich Gates etc which all have that unmistakable Avon vibe.

In reply to Kafoozalem: To be fair, I think her route selection was influenced to some extent by the fact that there had been rain in the morning on the day the film was shot.

In reply to James S:

These are personal route selections - not a 'best of' route selection. She obviously chose Jasper because it meant something to her.

Lets face it, there isn't enough on any of these videos for a 'hit list' - they are more about the climber and their attachment to particular venues than about specific routes.

In reply to GrahamD: thank for all the positive feedback, I'm psyched the films are going down well. You are absolutely right Graham, Jasper was chosen because it was Lu's first climb, so meant a lot to her.

We wanted to go on Main Wall instead, but the weather was atrocious, and only had a weather window for very specific climbs, main wall was a sheet of water, unfortunately.

Thanks for all the comments.

In reply to ianburton: Blimey - that's one hell of a route for a first time... I'm guessing it was glass in those days too...

In reply to mike kann: No, it was unpolished before the Sunday morning top ropers came along.

In reply to John2: I'm sure, but then again it was glass in 1996, and Lucy was saying she started climbing not much before that...

In reply to John2:

I doubt that, it was hideously polished when I did it in the early 80s.

In reply to AlanLittle: I can go back even further, I recall it being polished in 1971/72 on my first visit to Avon.

In reply to UKC Articles:

E-x-c-e-l-l-e-n-t video, the climbing, the commentary, really enjoyed it, thanks.

I remember reading a old Roman manuscript, must have been from around 120 AD, that passed a mention of how polished it was

In reply to UKC Articles: P.s. great video!

In reply to UKC Articles:

Jasper was my first HVS lead. I still remember it well. I would have been better off wearing ice skates.

In reply to Morgan P:

Very good.

In reply to Morgan P:

A palaeolithic painting in the Giants Cave shows a half-man, half-bison figure slipping from the route, pursued by wolves.

In reply to felt:

And on the second day, God said, "Let there be polished limestone." So God made the polished limestone and it was so.

God called the polished limestone Jasper.

In reply to ianburton: A good thing about Avon used to be you could climb on Main Wall in the wet. Ed and I climbed Maltraverse Left, Lich Gates, Pink Wall Direct and first part of The Equator in wet and rain in February and March.The friction was fine except for the few orange muddy bits. But it was certainly cold and miserable. Probably not much fun for the cameras.

In reply to Oliver Hill: sounds grim! :/ It didn't look very tempting when we were there in the wet. It would have been good to get on Main Wall, but only really if it looked spectacular and inviting, it made more sense for the film for Lu to get on the first climb she ever did in Avon

In reply to ianburton: Yeah, the more I think about it the grimmer it seems. Problem was that when you have planned to climb and it is grey and drizzly ... You have packed your bags and nowhere to go. No climbing walls then. A spoilt new generation. Enjoyment is more fun though. Nice to see anything from Avon, even though for me Main Wall was the essence of Avon. Probably more friction in the wet in winter. In the summer the micro-bugs are more alive and slippery in the wet, at least that is the case on southern sandstone.

In reply to ianburton:

Thanks for the film. Appreciate you had to make the best of the poor conditions.

Mick

In reply to Oliver Hill:


Yes.

I remember floundering around on Severes in the rain, with crap/no gear in the 1960s - dangerous enough. But, for you guys, pushing the boat out on loose first ascents up to E3 in bad conditions... well, that really was something special.

Many years later, I did Central Buttress in a torrential downpour - scary enough for me!

Mick

In reply to Mick Ward: Hi Mick. I did Lich Gates in 1970. Just as I got to the end of the traverse on the top pitch the heavens opened and it turned into a skating rink within seconds. All I could do was stick my finger in the hole of the peg and wait until the rain stopped. Of course once I had done that I couldn't clip it but luckily the rain only lasted a few minutes.

Al

In reply to Mick Ward: Thanks Mick. it wasn't ideal, but pretty typical for the job

In reply to Gaston Rubberpants:
I was there belaying you in the bush below and it was hell of a downpour one of your great leads as I seconded it was still wet and a skating ring

In reply to Mick Ward: The view thru 20 year old's eyes is different to a 60 year old's. The strange thing is we started out when the rock was wet and it was drizzling rather than being caught out in a rainstorm. It does not really make sense to me now either. I was wondering though how local climbers felt about climbing now on Main Wall in the wet. No need, better indoors. Better to save one's energy for something more productive. Things are technically much harder nowadays with less margin for error.