UKC

On my to do list this winter is raven crag gully in borrowdale. Can anyone tell me how many ice screws are usually required for this route?

Thanks,
M

In reply to mook456:

When I did it last season I took 5 and a small rock rack, wouldn't hold your hopes up to do it this season. Very rarely comes in nick as far as I'm aware.

In reply to mook456:

It came in in Dec 2008, Feb 2009, Dec/Jan 2010, Dec 2010, Jan 2013, March/April 2013 and was possibly in in Feb 2012 too. So, not in all the time, but much easier to get in nick than other Lakes routes like Chock Gully, Inaccessible Gully and Dove Crag Gully

In reply to mook456:

There are better winter things in the Lakes. None now, it's raining.

In reply to joe.91:

Yeah especially the way the weather is at the moment but one can only hope! I take it about 5 screws and rock gear should be enough for most routes in the lakes?

In reply to mook456: Required gear for a route can vary wildly depending on condition/type of the route. Much much more important is the experience and skill required to do the route and assess conditions.
Done this route twice and cannot remember placing more than 2 screws on it.Quite straight forward climbing to be fair but ensure it's in nick !

In reply to jas wood:

Did it last April and seconded the final crux pitch. Leader placed eight screws and would have used nine if he hadn't run out. All depends on your attitude to gear and conditions at the time. Expert advice (in print rather than UKC) is for 6-8 screws for full ice pitches, definitely 8 if belays need ice pro too.

Great route btw.

In reply to j0ntyg: like what?

In reply to BnB:
If the ice is good enough to place eight screws you would trust then i'd be happy to trust the placements and concentrate on being efficient, placing gear when comfortable or bomber kit presents itself.

I'm pumped out now thinking about placing 8 screws in any pitch !

My personal opinion is that your built skill and experience should be your main safety factor (sometimes resulting on you walking away!) and protection should be a back up, not vice versa.

In reply to Mountain Llama:
Dove crag gully,Moss ghyll,bowfell buttress,SE gully, north gully on rampsgill, innacessable gully, black crag icefall,Pendulum ridge to name but a few of the more popular routes i thought where better.
Not a bad route is raven but i think over rated.

In reply to BnB: These `full` ice pitches aren't to be found on raven crag gully. I would say 3 is enough for most Lakes routes. 9 on the final pitch is quite something! I would hate to think of the person asking the question either wasting his money on 9 screws or not climbing it because he didn't have enough.

In reply to Matt_b:
I never said they were. Only that my buddy chose to place everything on his rack, as is his prerogative. But it's worth bearing in mind that two screws at each belay on a big pure ice route only leaves four for runners per pitch. Unless you start faffing with A-threads.

In reply to j0ntyg: at the grade i thought it was exceptionally good, as good as anything in Scotland.

In reply to jas wood:

I thought it was the best route I've done in winter!

In reply to mook456:

Thanks for all replies. I have done plenty of snow gullies in the lakes with small ice pitches and was looking at this route along with others like south east gully and window gully, great end etc. I have four screws at the moment and just wondering if I need to get a couple more or not. Don't want to waste that hard earned cash if they are not needed.

In reply to mook456:

4 screws will be more than enough. Take a good book, the queue canstretch for miles

In reply to mook456:
not much snow on the ground when I climbed it. Found the route made up of short pitches of organ pipe style ice which was gud to hook with plenty of ice bulges 4 your feet. Think I only placed 1 nut on lower pitches and 2 medium screws on top pitch. It felt quite bold at the time. Stances for belay are fairly relaxed.

Hope u manage to tick it off this season.

Davey

In reply to mook456:

It is very rare to need more than just one or two ice screws on most Lakes winter routes. Usually other types of gear are better.
DC

In reply to joe.91:

Have you done any of the other routes i mentioned ?
I don't think it is a bad route, in fact it is good but not worthy of the hype IMO.

OP: 4 Screws will see you okay IMO

In reply to Stephen Reid:
Lol. Sorry! U cannot claim that as a wintet ascent!

....but nice 2 c wat lies below on the top pitch?

In reply to Mountain Llama:


Maybe not - but it was flippin' cold!

In reply to Stephen Reid:

Brilliant, in top condition, real challenge

In reply to Mountain Llama:

I've failed on RCG in those conditions!

Only done the route once in winter and that was at night and a long time ago but I do remember getting rock belays rather than ice, but obviously this would depend on conditions. The difficulties are short and the route is stepped so you don't need lots of ice screws, as someone else has indicated 4 will be more than enough.

To Jas Wood:

I've done most of those you list and even on things like Dove Crag Gully which is several grades harder than RCG I probably only placed two ice screws on the first pitch - as much because the ice screws back then weren't particularly good and the ice was probably too thin to take them.

Ice climbing is as much a head game as anything else and you are better off improving that side of things before maxing out your credit card.

Thanks for the advice all. Will stick with the four and happily save a small fortune!

Cheers again,
M

In reply to mook456:

I was BNB's partner in April and I used at least 6 screws in the top pitch, (I have six and can't remember if BNB had any so I may have used more). The top pitch was in particularly good nick because of the prolonged cold spell and was a full 35m of ice (longer than the 25m given in the book). The lower half was grade 3 with some small ledges and rests, the top half was steeper and the airy finish round a bulge felt grade 4 to me. It was close to the top end of my leading grade and I felt more comfortable placing screws regularly to reduce the length of a potential fall. The ice was good and thick for all the screws. Mind you it was a brilliant pitch, one of the best I've done and worth me having to wait a few years to get the right conditions. The hard ice in pitch 2 wasn't in and we went up the alternative "verglassed ramp" on the right which was tricky grade 4 mixed climbing as the ice was brittle and breaking off. Gear was mainly rock pro and slings, I used 1-2 screws on a couple of belay ledges and a couple in the alternative left rib on pitch 4. As ever it depends what you can find on the day and what level you are comfortable leading at - for us that last pitch was quite long and sustained. All in all a great route with very contrasting pitches of mixed, ice and easy snow and fun because the narrow twisting nature meant you didn't always know what was coming next. I'll try and add a few pics to my UKC photo album in the next day or so.

In reply to jas wood:

Shots #3 & #4 here - http://bobwightman.co.uk/climb/slideshow.php?s=lakes_winter show me on the same pitch

In reply to Bob:

Looks in similair nic. didn't really think a screw would hold much on that IMO but easy to hook on a and solid to climb.

In reply to BnB:


I thought it went free?

In reply to ewar woowar:

There are at least two excellent rock runners on the left wall of the last pitch
A couple of screws after that would be more than enough. The rock runners should be available under most conditions.