UKC

Finally got around to this the other day. As I said previously:


Which is the absolute truth - I have genuinely wanted to do more Central Belt routes including W2, but have genuinely preferred exploring elsewhere when time and weather allowed. It is as simple and factual as that, and the other day happened to be a perfect short local day for going into the quarry, breezy sunny and cold.

It is a very good trad route, well worth two stars - a bit bold, a bit sustained and pumpy, a bit committing in places. Quite sheer but with a lot of decent holds and a nice clean top-out. Thanks to Robert for restoring it and to Buz for lending him the crowbar and being reasonable about the situation. And to Smelly Fox for a fun afternoon out.

As for the gear situation:


Uh huh. Suffice to say that I ran out of quickdraws and it took more small RPs than I own. 11 bits of gear in total, but I could have placed a lot more near the top. It's a bit small/fiddly low down but easy to faff around placing the gear and drop down from the ledge.

Then we did The Corrieman which is more like F6b+ and very nice, well out of the way of both Wallys. Both felt pretty steady, maybe maybe I felt good after several visits to Ratho Wall recently or maybe it was a trip to Dunira the other week (the 28th sport crag I've been to in Scotland, not bad for a "whinging trad fanny").

Did I mention that W2 is very good? Also that wall is a nice suntrap at this time of year.












If anyone needs more info on the gear:

*spoiler*
*end spoiler*

In reply to Fiend:

I sort of lost track how many (retro bolted) sport routes got chopped and how many sport routes are still equipped?

In reply to Fiend:


Did you do Dunira or Die? Folks on UKC are suggesting it's undergraded or a hold has come off.

In reply to JLS:


Pettifer's Wall and Wally 2 were retro-bolted and subsequently chopped. Slow Strain was retro-bolted and remains bolted (there is a feeling that this might be fair enough since rockfall had changed the original route anyway).

All the new sport routes (about 5) remain bolted.

In reply to Robert Durran:

Cheers.

In reply to Andy Nisbet:

I tried it, but I couldn't do the top crux at all - it seemed to be a blind, reachy slap off a slippery quartz pinch, but nothing like any F7a I've ever done. So yes either undergraded and/or something has gone missing.

We did all the other routes except ShangriLa and the eliminate 6b - good stuff, nice fierce crimping in a very sunny location indeed. Should have had bottled oxygen for the walk-in though!



JLS: Yes, 5 new sport routes, plus SS, plus the original 3 sport routes (2 left of Welcome To The Cruise, and the arete right of W2 - Buz said he might sort a proper lower-off for the latter).

In reply to Fiend:

Nice one. Haven't been to Ratho in ages, but am keen to have a look at some of the newly-cleaned routes next time I'm over.

In reply to Fiend:

Cool. Thanks for the heads up on conditions, managed to climb there today, was good fun.

In reply to Fiend:


Probably something has come off. The grades of the routes I've done (all the easier ones) seemed fine.