UKC

After leading a couple last year, this year I would like to get comfortably into the VS grade.

Rather than scaring myself cr*pless on something bold or difficult for the grade, I would like to do a few routes that are either well protected or soft in the grade. Can anyone suggest any particular routes?

I'm Bristol based, but fear the gorge routes are going to be bold / polished maybe? But I'm all ears... Avon, Cheddar, FCQ (Already led Robs Crack), Wye Valley, Symmonds Yat, Baggy Point/Culm Coast/The Gower etc...

In reply to BStar:

My advice would be to start at Shorn Cliff. There are some very nice VSs there which have not yet had enough traffic to polish them as many of the routes at Avon and Wintour's Leap have been polished. Even though you are Bristol based, I can't think of any Avon VSs which are a good introduction to the grade.

In reply to BStar:
Any of the stuff in Trym Valley gorge worth bothering with?

EDIT: Actually having looked at the guide, maybe not. Although I recall someone saying they'd been some 'gardening' done on the vegetated areas.

In reply to BStar:

There are some routes to meet your spec on the Gower. Look out for Juniper Wall and Upper Jacky's Tor.

In reply to BStar:

At FCQ Lunar Landscape is reasonably well protected and quite straightforward. I think Ash Tree Wall has also got reasonable gear (relative to the other climbs on that slab) and is straightforward for the grade. At Goblin Combe Bifur is a real soft touch, and more like HS. At Wyndcliff left crag Monsoon-Pinnacle route has a short VS section to finish that is protected and standard for the grade. On Wyndcliff right hand crag Questor has loads of gear, is a good climb, but might feel a bit full-on because of the length, although the climbing's all middle-of-the-road VS. At Shorncliff State of Independence has gear low down, despite what some people say, and the pull over the bulge higher up is well protected and great fun. Iron Curtain is low in the grade and well protected, and Heavy Plant Crossing has plenty of gear and isn't too demanding. At the Yat Whitt is a nice middle-of-the road VS, although i can't remember much about the gear low down. The top pitch has great gear and is a lot easier than it looks, and Exchange I remember being quite straightforward. Urizen at Baggy is well protected, standard VS, but like Questor because of the length it may feel a bit full-on.

I've climbed all of those and none are what I'd call high in the grade, or particulary poorly protected. Although I wouldn't jump straight on Questor or Urizen until you've ticked a few of the others.

In reply to BStar:

Sarcophagus at Chudleigh Rocks is a quality VS, and low in the grade (4b). Very well protected, I highly recommend it. A bit polished though, to be expected really! Suspension Flake at hound tor is another great route, very well protected and easy for a VS in my opinion.

Ollie.

In reply to BStar:

Little Hopper (Stepped Wall) Cheddar Gorge North fits your criteria well. Exchange (SY), State of Independence (Shorn) and Bifur (Goblin) all suggested above are good options to build VS confidence. At FCQ Bramble Whine is another VS worth a look, the short crux section is well protected.
Bit on the side (Upper Jacky's Tor, Gower) was my first VS lead and is another good choice, also on Gower Scavenger (3 Cliffs) and Direct (Boiler Slab) are well protected and reasonable propositions at the grade.

In reply to OllieF:


Hahaha, nice one!

In reply to John2:


Giant's Cave Buttress maybe?

In reply to BStar:

Cheers for all the replies, I'll take a look at them all (apart from Sarcophagus :p)

In reply to BStar:

Bottle at Gower also a quality easier grade VS, well protected.

In reply to wurzelinzummerset:

Ack! I couldn't disagree more! I thought heavy plant crossing was nails hard. Felt more like e1. Harder than several HVS routes nearby

Questor is a great suggestion as it has bags of gear and lots of rests. Class climbing too (assuming it's the further right route, I get it mixed up with Cadillac)

Personally I'd say chugleigh is good idea. Probably less than 2 hour drive and you've got some good 3 star vs routes with lots of gear. Great western and some others I forget the name of

In reply to BStar:
Wreckers Slab. Alright Pitch 1 is a tad run out, the other 2 Pitches are well protected and the climbing really isn't hard.

Any of the VS's at Vicarage Cliff

In reply to Skip:

Wreckers does not fit the op's criteria, skip. Vicarage is a good call though.

In reply to BStar:

Depends what kind of climbing you like. I would say that generally the VS routes in the gorge I find easier as they are rarely sustained, generally one insecure, polished slabby 4c move, to pick one central rib seemed fairly soft to me. The culm has a few good VS's, Solid air and the routes on gul rock are not too challenging and there's a few of them. The VS finish to the classic multipitch VDiff in the wye valley is quite a short but steep bit of VS. If you don't mind steep stuff suspension flake on Hound tor is a great little short route and well protected.

Generally I would say just look at the guidebook and try to climb routes which play to your strengths, any reasonably popular VS 4c is not going to be particularly bold. Be wary of suggestions as what is harder or easier depends so much on your preferred style. For example Questor was recommended above which I found hard to second recently despite leading HVS as I struggle on steep sustained stuff.

In reply to Skip:
I was thinking Wreckers as well, but wondered about suggesting it as it's long and frangible. I perhaps wrongly assumed the OP wanted safeish routes (?)

Is it no longer done in 4 pitches?


Edit. And WS is only HS

In reply to BStar:

There are a few on the Culm that fit the brief. Gull Rock has two excellent well protected VSs near the left edge of the main slab, Solid Air and Shivering Timbers, and further down the coast a couple more amongst a handful of enjoyable HSs at Vicarage Cliff. Lost Horizon at Baggy is a must. It's probably worth 5a but there's bomber gear every few feet. Twinkletoes is also pleasant.

At the Dewerstone, the old VSs of Central Groove and CC ordinary have dropped a grade but are still very worthwhile whilst Leviathan is bang on the money.

I haven't climbed at Chudleigh for an age but seem to remember that Inkerman Groove and Great Western gave quality climbing without too much loss of brain cells.

In reply to Tom Last:

Not a fan are we? I cant get enough of Chudleigh! Probably due to it being where my first outdoor leading experience came from...

In reply to Iain Peters:

Another vote for Inkerman Groove, but Great Western is a bit tricky for someone just stepping into the grade I would have said!

In reply to Iain Peters:

Yeah Leviathan great routes and pretty benchmark.

Have to say Wreckers' Slab is nothing if not bold.

On Dartmoor you have Suspension Flake and Cantilever Crack (wideness) at Hound Tor. Levitation, Aramis and Raven Wing at Haytor, although the big flake on Raven Wing seems pretty suspect to me. Also really recommend Black Jam Crack at Luckey Tor, to my mind the best VS that I've done on the moor, a bit of a paper tiger and somewhere a little different. They're all pretty benchmark.

Dartmoor's not really that great for VS imho. If you want real top quality VSs in the Sourh West, I reckon Avon and West Penwith are your best bets.

In reply to OllieF:

Haha, well I like Chudleigh, just not that route - I was having difficulty breathing at one point!

In reply to cuppatea:

Yes, definitely after safe routes rather than easier climbing but bold...

I'm off to the culm coast next weekend so I'll take a look at Gull Rock / The vicarage while I'm there.

I understand about playing at strengths... I usually find slabby routes more my style, hence Robs Crack. I've seconded questor and despite the amount of gear it takes, I found it very pumpy and long! Saying that, it was about a year ago I was on it.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

In reply to BStar:

If you want to come out fighting, head to Avon Gorge and do Gronk (VS) then you might as well just move onto HVSs like Desecrator and Suspension Bridge Arete and see which is the hardest!

In reply to BStar:
Gull Rock is a grand day out. Check the tides. It's possible to climb while tide is high and then retreat while it's on the ebb.
Full moon on the 4th (spring tides - higher high tide), someone more local than I am nowadays will be better able to advise you.

In reply to BStar:

Rockers' Revenge in Avon Gorge is a little hidden gem. Well protected and great climbing.

In reply to OllieF:

Ah yes! I meant inkermans groove,
Was one of my first vs's I think

Suspension flake is another good recommendation.

In reply to Kemics:

Raven Wing on Lowman Haytor is the under sung route of the moor. Great climbing, very well protected and a puzzling move to find the hidden hold the first time round.

At Chudleigh, Sarcophagus, Chudleigh Overhang and Great Western are nightmares at VS for very different reasons if you're pushing VS. The traverse and groove on inkerman groove are sustained and I think low hvs not high vs. Never on a Sunday is great especially the second pitch.

For the sandbag as others are throwing in... pandoras box at brean.

In reply to Tom Last:


Yeah, that's what I was thinking!

In reply to BStar:

If you enjoy slab routes, I would recommend Clarion in the Avon Gorge. I found it had plenty of gear (especially for the Avon Gorge) and was of sustained interest and not too cruxy. I found it easier than Rob's Crack at FCQ.

In reply to wurzelinzummerset:

Neep! Found this nails, but then I am rather out of condition whereas you look like your star is rising Alan!

The route that first sprang to mind was Giant's Cave Buttress. On a repeat offence not that long ago I found the first pitch pretty straightforward, second pitch more of a scramble and third pitch has the crux move followed by a 4a romp. Then again there is that CC guidebook description to contend with...

I'd second Rocker's Revenge, good toute and nicely unpolished for the Gorge.

Also perhaps Butterfly at Wintours? I remember it as being safe even if a little polished.

In reply to OllieF:

I never thought that Inkerman Groove was that pressing; I went to Chudleigh expecting a struggle, but was pleasantly surprised.

In reply to BStar:

I reckon the Yat has probably the biggest selection of friendly VSs in the area, and it’s at its best right now – before the leaves come out fully it’s got a much brighter aspect, and the dry weather (which sadly is about to end!) has solved the mud problem for the moment. The obvious place to start is 3 VSs round the Golden Fleece corner – Peacock and Exchange are both very low in the grade, The Druid slightly harder due to its slightly pumpy start. Nearby Green Grow the Grollies Oh is nice, well protected and reasonable at the grade, while Pam’s Pride and Whitt (the best of the lot) are bigger leads but still fair at the grade.

Shorn Cliff also has some good starters – The Iron Curtain and State of Independence as already suggested, and Temporary Truce is also a good one (bring a couple of big hexes or cams for that one).

Not sure there are many at Wintour’s Leap I’d recommend as first VSs – the ones on the quarried walls all have a bold bit somewhere on them, while the Fly Wall VSs tend to be a bit shiny and physically quite hard. Wynd Cliff VSs are distinctly tough – Questor is the easiest of them, Cardiac is technically harder but not too strenuous, Cadillac and Fibre are right at the top of the grade and Vanguard is a complete sandbag!

Rick

In reply to Tom Last:

giant cave butress is nether well, protected or soft and definately not one for a tentative VS leader! 1st pitch is prety serious and not all that pleasant, second ptch is easy but chosy and third pitch is well protected but highly exposed and hard to read.

In reply to Tom Last:

Agree mostly Tom, but Levitation's being marked down a notch to HS in James's new guide, I've just seen his description. I would add Senior's wall at bench Tor. bit wicked to start but a nice wee route on a great little crag. West Penwith's the place to go or even better but perhaps not quite so easy to get to, Lundy!

If you don't mind abseiling and an exciting situation Supernatural at Gowla is good and there are some excellent recent VSs amongst the much harder stuff at Pentire. Caprice at Doyden is a cracking pitch as well.

In reply to BStar:
Try Tobacco Road at Daddyhole , a good fun climb.
Triton however is the opposite end of the VS scale.

Chris

In reply to Rick Sewards:


+1. Exchange is probably the best to start on.

In reply to BStar:

Sometimes routes like Questor can be easier to lead than to second as you're not doing things like hanging about in awkward positions trying to extract gear that your mate put in at full stretch from a rest. The extra adrenaline helps, too.

In reply to wurzelinzummerset:

Someone has probably said it above but Lost Horizon at Baggy has got to be one of the best VS pitches in the SW.
Never hard but v sustained 4b/c climbing all the way. Gear available every few inches. Brilliant route.

In reply to Webster:

Oh, apologies to the OP - don't do that then! Its a while since I did it, thought I remembered it as fairly straightforward. Cheers for clarification.

In reply to Tom Last:

Now you mention it, the first pitch did also have that effect on me! None the less, I reckon its a goer for a newby to VS!

In reply to cuppatea:

Wreckers is done in 3 pitches these days, works fine with 50m ropes.

It's the one climb that i really can't grade. It's not hard climbing (I've done harder severes), but it is run out in places, a bit loose and crumbly at times, and fully committing.

In reply to Skip:

It was pretty loose twenty years ago. I'm a little surprised it's still there! Climbing it again one day is on my list of things to do.

In reply to Skip:

VS 4a/b

In reply to BStar:

I did 3 at Shorn Cliff a couple of weeks back, all VS 4c. They were all pretty good, not too hard (except for one!), not polished or anything and gear was good! Temporary Truce was especially good.

In reply to BStar:

If you've done routes like sinister, Dexter, sleepwalk, nightmare etc then the Avon vs routes are only a step above that so you should be Ok. I'd avoid petros though - I've always found that really hard at the grade.

At wintours, I think that freedom and butterfly on fly wall would be good targets. Not walkovers but steady with good gear.

In reply to charlielow:

Which VS was particularly rough?
One for all?

Iron curtain is nice.

In reply to zimpara:

When I did Iron Curtain it was quite dirty, made it quite hard to climb! Was a hot day too, so my sweaty hands didn't help.