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Kilnsey Main Overhang

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 Mark Collins 31 May 2014
I made a successful solo ascent of Kilnsey Main Overhang earlier this year, and took some GoPro helmet footage which I've put on youtube:
youtube.com/watch?v=HgoOyxoltqo&

Just thought someone might be interested. I doubled the speed to get through it and it isn't quite as sickening to watch as free climbing as I didn't have to keep looking at my feet. Are well, there you go. Comments, questions, and recommendations welcome.
 Mike Highbury 31 May 2014
In reply to Mark Collins:
Well done but with so few aiding such things these days I must confess to having little sense of what is going nor a real feel for what you have achieved. For sure I've read about this sort of thing in the past but a lack of familiarity leaves me, for one, a bit lost.

I guess I'm looking for a bit of commentary.
Post edited at 23:02
 duncan b 31 May 2014
In reply to Mark Collins:
Why didn't you just use a clip stick and gri gri? That's what everyone else does.
Post edited at 23:09
OP Mark Collins 31 May 2014
In reply to Mike Highbury:

Thanks Mike and fair comment. I haven't spent anymore time on this because I think the footage is so poor. If I had managed to use another camera to give some context then commentary would make a great addition. I definitely couldn't have given any dialogue at the time though as the activity was all encompassing.

I'm trying to boost, if ever so slightly the role of aid climbing within the UK, which in my opinion has been lost to sport and trad climbing. With our maritime climate, it seems to me ridiculous to concentrate on 2 forms of climbing that almost entirely rely on a lack of rain. That said, I’m very much in favour of the clean aid ethic, and hope I’m not in anyway encouraging folk to pick up hammers and start banging pegs in all over the place.
OP Mark Collins 31 May 2014
In reply to duncan b:

> Why didn't you just use a clip stick and gri gri? That's what everyone else does.

Oo that sounds interesting, care to elaborate?
 Hillseeker 01 Jun 2014
In reply to Mark Collins:

That looks complicated! I'd be scared of cocking it up somewhere along the way!
OP Mark Collins 01 Jun 2014
In reply to toasted:
You're right and I was, so spent some days mulling over the idea on paper and in my head before setting out. I'm not sure I can think of a more difficult place to get rescued from. I'm hoping that Duncan is going to come back with his technique. The basic safety was provided by a silent partner backed up with a clove hitch. I then took a figure of eight knot on a bite of rope from in front of it and clipsticked that to the next draw before jumaring up to it, taking my weight off the bite via a lower out line in the draw, tying a new bite, clipping that to the next draw and lowering out. That is, not before clipping the current draw with the rope going back to the anchor. At least I think that's what happened.
Post edited at 09:40
 Fraser 01 Jun 2014
In reply to Mark Collins:

I didn't really 'get' it I'm afraid. Some background sound/music might have helped, not sure really, but I switched off after skipping forward several times just to see pretty much the same shot (at least to my untrained eye, so I may well be missing something)

I didn't know aiders clip-sticked insitu draws for example, I thought they generally placed their own gear, tested it, then moved on. Is this like 'sport-aiding', a sort of hybrid form of climbing? (genuine question btw, I really know nothing about it!)
 jon 01 Jun 2014
In reply to Fraser:

Sort of sport climbing without the red point?!
 Fraser 01 Jun 2014
In reply to jon:

lol, yes I suppose so, that and a belayer! Too dodgy for me by far.
 Lord_ash2000 01 Jun 2014
In reply to Mark Collins:

Dam, when I read "I made a successful solo ascent of Kilnsey Main Overhang" I was thinking "Woh!, Who's this guy?" As it gets about 8b as a sport route and I would make one of the most out there solo's ever done in the UK.
OP Mark Collins 01 Jun 2014
In reply to Fraser:

> I didn't really 'get' it I'm afraid. Some background sound/music might have helped, not sure really, but I switched off after skipping forward several times just to see pretty much the same shot (at least to my untrained eye, so I may well be missing something)

Totally agree with you, its beyond boring for any kind of entertainment value, but its a start. There is no video reference for this incredible route on the entire web, well not that I can find anyway.

> I didn't know aiders clip-sticked insitu draws for example, I thought they generally placed their own gear, tested it, then moved on. Is this like 'sport-aiding', a sort of hybrid form of climbing? (genuine question btw, I really know nothing about it!)

Yes, as an aid climb it doesn't work for the reasons you've stated. However, from what I understand you're not supposed to add anymore pegs to it or harm the route in any way now that its gone free. I thought the easiest way to achieve that is what you see in the video. I drew some inspiration for this great adventure from the following:
http://bobwightman.co.uk/climb/slideshow.php?s=kilnsey
OP Mark Collins 01 Jun 2014
In reply to Lord_ash2000:

> Dam, when I read "I made a successful solo ascent of Kilnsey Main Overhang" I was thinking "Woh!, Who's this guy?" As it gets about 8b as a sport route and I would make one of the most out there solo's ever done in the UK.

I thought someone might think that, so I deliberately made no reference to Mandela. That said, I could have been clearer about it by mentioning aid somewhere. Still, made you look
 Bruce Hooker 01 Jun 2014
In reply to Mark Collins:

What's the point of aiding it when it's gone free?
OP Mark Collins 01 Jun 2014
In reply to Bruce Hooker:

Here's a couple I've come up with but there maybe more:
You don't have the ability to climb the route free but still want to experience being there, in one of the most exposed positions in the country.
You may be a UK based climber who has aspirations of big wall climbing abroad, and you want something to train on.
 Fraser 01 Jun 2014
In reply to Mark Collins:

> Here's a couple I've come up with but there maybe more:

Surely you missed the obvious one: you wanted to.
 Robert Durran 01 Jun 2014
In reply to Bruce Hooker:

> What's the point of aiding it when it's gone free?


You could equally say "what's the point of redpointing it when it's been been flashed?". Maybe.

 victorclimber 01 Jun 2014
In reply to Mark Collins:

I miss aid climbing ,usually done in the snow or rain back in the 60,s 70,s good fun in winter
In reply to Mark Collins:

I could understand aiding the thing but not with a clip stick. Confused...
 RM199 01 Jun 2014
In reply to Mark Collins:

Hi mark

Have also done the overhang. Great fun, and its a hard rock tick which is a bonus!

I think more should try it. Really good fun, agree aid climbing needs a revival, a great way of learning essential skills that might save your life in the mountains one day. Plus really good fun.

And you can do it in the wet which is great fun.

 jon 01 Jun 2014
 Bruce Hooker 01 Jun 2014
In reply to victorclimber:

> I miss aid climbing ,usually done in the snow or rain back in the 60,s 70,s good fun in winter

I used to like it too but even back then we accepted the rule that once someone better than us had freed it that was that for pegging. I find it hard to believe that these days it's become a free for all, I do what I want, full stop. That's not what I read most of the time on ukc anyway.
 Bulls Crack 01 Jun 2014
In reply to Mark Collins:

> Here's a couple I've come up with but there maybe more:

> You don't have the ability to climb the route free but still want to experience being there, in one of the most exposed positions in the country.

> You may be a UK based climber who has aspirations of big wall climbing abroad, and you want something to train on.

Yes but why film it?
OP Mark Collins 02 Jun 2014
OP Mark Collins 02 Jun 2014
In reply to Bulls Crack:
> (In reply to Mark Collins)
>
> [...]
>
> [...]
>
> [...]
>
> Yes but why film it?

To keep some sort of record of a unique experience.
 Bob 02 Jun 2014
In reply to Bruce Hooker:

Kilnsey Main is a curious one - there are so many bolts (most with in-situ quickdraws) across the main roof that if you were attempting to free climb it you'd probably only clip about a third of them. When doing it on aid there's no need to place any gear except for a nut or two at the lip, the hardest move (aid) is setting off on the roof as it's a long clipstick move on old gear.

Aid climbers certainly aren't going to be adding to any polish to the holds on the roof nor do any damage to existing placements.
 jkarran 02 Jun 2014
In reply to Mark Collins:

> You're right and I was, so spent some days mulling over the idea on paper and in my head before setting out. I'm not sure I can think of a more difficult place to get rescued from. I'm hoping that Duncan is going to come back with his technique.

Duncan is poking fun at sport climbers. The technique would be to hang from the belay below the roof, clip the rope into a couple of draws/bolts toward the lip using the stick then swing/lower out and ascend the rope. Pretty much what you did anyway by the sound of it.

jk
OP Mark Collins 02 Jun 2014
In reply to jkarran:

Oh ok, that one passed me by. Thanks for the heads up.
 David_Gledson 02 Jun 2014
In reply to Mark Collins:

Hi Mark, and thanks for sticking the video up. As i've been planning on doing the same thing(soloing Kilnsey main Overhang that is) i found it useful to get a bit of beta.

What did you use for belay anchor at the bottom of the first pitch? I presume the second pitch belay was the lower offs at the top of the first pitch? And was it lower offs at the top as well?

Thanks in advance

David
OP Mark Collins 02 Jun 2014
In reply to David_Gledson:

Hi David, No worries about the video. You can see lower offs at 3:30 and 12:47, and yes it was as you say. As for the ground anchor, it was tricky. I eventually went for a 5 metre odd clip stick to the first bolt and tied into a couple more as I ascended.
 GeoffG 02 Jun 2014
In reply to Mark Collins:

I'm not sure whether to take this thread seriously but just for your information back in the day we used to get a belay at ground level and that was good enough if we were soloing. Usually a collection of wires and cams in the break at head height.
OP Mark Collins 03 Jun 2014
In reply to GeoffG:

You can never be too careful, and as for your belay that sounds much better than my arrangement. However, I didn't really want to disturb the vegetation there as its an SSSI and thought that might be an issue. It'd be great to see some photos of your ground anchor.
 David_Gledson 07 Jun 2014
In reply to Mark Collins:

Brill, thanks for the information guys, much appreciated.

Cheers

David
 petellis 10 Jun 2014
In reply to Mark Collins:
I think the video is great - pretty niche... but great all the same for showing the colossal amount of mucking about with rope tapes and bineers in aid climbing... the exposure looks tremendous!
OP Mark Collins 10 Jun 2014
In reply to petellis:
Thanks Pete. The exposure is tremendous, I found it totally mind blowing.
Post edited at 12:42

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