UKC

Repeated Mandarin at Houghton Quarry today...is there a better E2 on grit? I am struggling to think of one.

Get on it while you can. A big thank you to those who cleaned it.

In reply to tmawer:

Never heard of Houghton Quarry, some Lancs hole?

Favourite grit E2s would be Elegy and Five Finger Exercise. I guess The Rasp is kind of cool for a big holds pump-fest not often encountered on grit.

I also prefer grit without ropes, and with a few pads, so Daydreamer and Shock Horror Slab are up there for me.

In reply to Jon Stewart:

A second vote for Elegy, not that I do much on grit.

In reply to Jon Stewart:

Done first three those you mention, and would consider Mandarin better than any of them....personal opininion of course but based on a bit more than blind prejudice.

In reply to tmawer:



T.P.S on Curbar

In reply to rogersavery:

What's t.p.s.?

In reply to tmawer:

Well I've done about 20 e2's on grit so in ukc forum terms I'm more than qualified to comment here....I'd say....erm...Brown's eliminate.

In reply to jimjimjim:

It's even called an "eliminate"

In reply to tmawer:
Looking at the logbooks, Mandarin looks like a great route (located in some Lancs hole). But for me, the best route on grit will never be in a quarry - I find both the aesthetics and the moves on natural grit to be far more appealing and unique.

In reply to jimjimjim:

I didn't think browns eliminate was anything special.a Soft, one move wonder. On the Other hand, the direct version is a fabulous route with very little recognition. A powerful line up an imposing arête to gear, then you get to do it again.

Best E2 is a hard one but Cave Eliminate would be up there.

One of my faves (although I doubt many would agree) would be The Sentinel at burbage.
Cool moves up a lovely feature but it's easy to cop-out on. You have to be really strict to make it E2.

In reply to petegunn:

I agree, although escapable at the top. Boadicea, I thought, was stunning, and all 3 better than anything of the same grade at Millstone in my opinion.

In reply to tmawer:

All three of the classic E2s at Houghton are utterly brilliant (Mandarin, Rhododendron Buttress and Boadicea) and make a memorable day out.

Having done all those more familiar, great grit E2s that have been mentioned already, and those that haven't (Regent Street, Billy Whizz, Knightsbridge, Quietus, etc.), I'd agree that Mandarin is right up there and hard to beat.

(PS: for Jon - Houghton is not a typical Lancs hole in the ground. The faces are huge, and it has an amazing "Lost World" feel to it, where you might almost expect a Veloceraptor to jump out of the undergrowth...).

In reply to Jon Stewart:



Elegy might be one of the best Extremes on grit, let alone E2s. A glorious route, which you prob wouldn't find in a Lancs quarry, although I have looked......

In reply to paul_in_cumbria:

Commander Energy?

In reply to JJL:

Gotta be Five Finger.

In reply to TonyM:


It does look brilliant in the photos, if I'm around Lancs at some point, a day on those E2s looks well worthwhile.

In reply to JJL:

kinda eliminate low down, surely the rasp!?

In reply to paul_in_cumbria:

Elegy is brilliant, but it does start up a VS and have a side runner for the moves left, so not, I think, in the same league for independence and stature.

In reply to PaulTanton:

Certainly in the running for me.

In reply to alasdair19:

Bit too brutal for my taste....but fab' route.

In reply to tmawer:

Oh dear, I thought this was going to be about one of the UKC articles - "Best five routes at grade X that I've done and will get more people posting on UKC"

The routes that immediately came to mind were "Five Finger Exercise" and "Regent Street" but Mandarin is definitely up there with those. This is coming from someone who doesn't particularly like quarries.

Curiously I can't think of any from the Yorks grit area that are truly outstanding, they all seem to fall short in some way.

In reply to Bob:



http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.php?i=48576

Maybe?

E

In reply to tmawer:

Agree with Earl Butresss. As good as anything in the Peak

In reply to big john:

But not as good as Mandarin from my recollection!

In reply to Enty:

I look at Earl Crag from the house. Earl Buttress was one that came to mind but I've not done it so couldn't really comment.

Don't think I'll be doing it today - it's hotter than a hot thing in an oven!

In reply to tmawer:

Five Finger and Regent Street are both excellent, and I am struggling to think of better. Interesting though that both have no hands ledge rests half way up, which you'd have thought might be a negative. Though perhaps not? Maybe it adds to the anticipation in both cases.

If we allow Sentinel Crack as an E2, it must be a contender for a classic grit E2.

In reply to tmawer:

As already mentioned - Rhododendron Buttress?


Chris

In reply to Bob:


Earl Buttress is a good route, something of an anomaly on Yorks grit: a totally straightforward, safe, soft-touch jugfest. But for steep climbing on big holds, it's nowhere near as good as The Rasp. At least it's not a green, bold sandbag with no useful gear, unfathomable moves and a terrible landing as one might normally expect for somewhere like Earl Crag, indeed most of Yorkshire.

In reply to Jon Stewart:

Some examples of such horror fests?

In reply to Offwidth:


The other routes I've tried at Earl included some awful HVS that started with really really hard grovelling through a massive roof and wide crack, and continued in this filthy, thrutchy style for the whole route (apart from a massive ledge). And the completely impossible Sour Grapes which probably gets scary higher up if you get that far. One thing oft encountered in Yorkshire is boulder problem starts that bear absolutely no relation to the technical grade of the route, e.g. Black Chipper (only the easiest moves on the route are 5b the rest is 6a at the start and 5c at the end), Extraction (terrible landing) and less so but still incorrect The Sole. Another HVS I did at Rhylstone was luminous green and an utter sandbag.

I'm scratching my head trying to think of when I've actually had a good time climbing routes in Yorkshire, and they're limited to the Slipstones HVSs, the Almscliff HVSs, and two decent routes at the diminutive Eastby.

The bouldering on the other hand is tremendous.

In reply to Jon Stewart:

Eavestone Has some nice looking E2's (Not that ive done them). Same at Great Wolfrey?

In reply to Alex the Alex:

The routes I've done at Eavestone have all had a patina of dust/gunk on them, not particularly pleasant, possible that the routes would be fine after a long dry spell like we are having now.

Great Wolfrey - the grades there are all over the place: there's a route given E3 that is closer to HVS and the E2 aretes are desperate - you also need to be confident in doing highball cruxes before you get any gear.

In reply to tmawer:



Me neither.