UKC

Has anyone done Blue John Rib on Mam Tor in "summer" conditions? I haven't done anything really awful for a while, and am thinking of maybe having a poke on Friday.

Vaguely considering packing warthogs, but something tells me they wouldn't help.

In reply to davidbeynon:

Have you written a will?

In reply to davidbeynon:
A man after my own heart! Colin Foord and I set off up BJR a few years ago in summer conditions when we were researching "Over the Moors". Colin's reasoning was that the original descriptions were given summer grades so they must have been done in summer.

That seemed reasonable to me but - the "crag" changes shape on a daily basis!

I set off leading with a selection of pegs, cams, warthogs etc but found progress impossible less than a third of the way up. I was making two steps up and going down three. It felt very dodgy indeed, and the worst part was when I was standing on the only solid block for miles around, feeling rather relieved, when it started to shift. As I attempted to step off it, it split in two and I finally shat myself and gave up. Descent was more of a barely controlled slide than a downclimb. As a point of interest, we did it in very dry conditions...maybe moisture might hold the thing together a little better?

If you're going to have a go, take an ice axe or two and maybe have someone at the top who can, if necessary drop you a rope. They will need to have a stake bashed in behind them on the summit as there is no real belay. You'll need that for your mate should you make it to the top anyway. I'll be in Paris Friday, but otherwise I'll gladly be the guy at the top with a long rescue rope if you're short of a volunteer.

In reply to Frank the Husky:
At the moment I'm having trouble finding a willing victim so I might have to delay a bit. I phoned around the usual suspects yesterday, most of whom basically told me to sod off, but there is someone who *might* be up for it on Sunday...

[edit]
And he has just sent me a text saying "Neither me, nor my twin brother are going to Mam Tor.". Maybe a top rope then.

In reply to davidbeynon:

I've often thought about the girdle ledge as a summer line, looks more likely to go. Back Tor gully is good fun in summer if you are over that way.

In reply to Somerset swede basher:

I might have better luck persuading people to go to Back Tor.

In reply to davidbeynon:

A top rope it might be. Your mates are very flakey, that's all I can say!

Back Tor is more stable as there is much more vegetation, and I remember getting some worthwhile gear in here and there.

In reply to davidbeynon:

did it one summer evening around 1970. Quite necky , think we got a peg belay at some point . Its attraction was it length for the Peak.

In reply to bill briggs1: Was that with me. I did it with someone and we had half a dozen mild steel rods with a loop on the end, which went in very easily, for gear! (Also came out very easily in the seconds hands.) Two pitches I think. May also have been Tony Gibbs. The old memory is getting iffy!

In reply to johncook:

Think it was Tony Gibbs who did it with you . I did it with Steve Chadwick .

In reply to bill briggs1:

I think it must be one of the 'most interesting' routes I have done. Could get a first ascent 3 times a day!

In reply to johncook:

That sounds like some of the Leicestershire quarries. Maybe there are enough routes for a Chossfax book?

In reply to Somerset swede basher: me and a mate tried to climb a line straight up the middle of the face to the right of the gully which relied pretty much entirely on the strength of grass in shale. we reached the girdle ledge and where the angle steepens above and the grass seems less well attached. We escaped by traversing the ledge into the gully. I would have thought a traverse from the gully to the top on the right might be on in summer. I wouldn't think theres much point in taking a rope along though, not much point in two people falling down the hill!