UKC

Following on from the more serious thread, http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?n=619979

What's the most time consuming ascent you've been part of. (Bonus points awarded if you were seconding, and had to watch the paint dry. )

2minutes per metre for me. With that said, I am a slow climber.
Hence why I don't dog routes. I fear my belayer will fall asleep. Lol

In reply to zimpara:


I've been slower than you - I took two hours leading the crux pitch [just past the Shield] of Coronation Street. In midwinter.

Didn't Ed Drummond say it took him 2 days to lead Great Wall? (I could be wrong).

In reply to zimpara:


Watching someone take 25 minutes to climb a single pitch sport climb at Cheddar last week

In reply to Oogachooga:
Well thats not very nice rob. I thought I was placing draws for your pink point? Lol

In reply to zimpara:

One spent the evening belaying a route in penalta . Rope didn't move much in the 3hrs between 5 and 8. Still remind him about it every now and then

In reply to zimpara:

2 hours on 7 metre climb.

In reply to PPP:

A two hour ascent? Or lunch halfway up?

In reply to zimpara:

Well, that was my infamous first solo lead ascent. I set up a top rope as a back-up at the top of the crag, abseiled down, built an anchor at the bottom, recoiled my lead rope, lead the pitch, abseiled down, re-climbed it and cleaned the pitch. So really, it was not just climbing the pitch. Still good fun.

In reply to abseil:


Three days apparently for the second ascent of The Boldest. He was a brave man (along with Crew and Ingle) lowering off.

Didn't he then offer to guide it for £6? "Not bad for three days climbing..." Brown's supposed to have quipped.

Although the £6 pales into insignificance compared with the £100 or so Perrin got for guiding 'the most talented climber I've ever seen' (Crew apropos of David Nott) up Great Wall just a few years later. Probably bought Jim another sybaritic summer. I hope so, anyway.

Mick

In reply to PPP:
Time spent abbing, flaking, and generally rambling around making sure you've got it right is not allowed.

What is allowed, is time spent cacking your pants, shaking, shivering, head banging and complaining about polish and bad holds, whilst clinging on.

In reply to Mick Ward:


Thanks a lot for all the further information.

In reply to zimpara:

belayed someone on Kelly's Overhang for 2 and half boring hours.

In reply to zimpara:

(Big) George Smith took so long leading Fast and Furious on Dove Crag that his belayer, Al Phizacklea, fell asleep and didn't even wake up when George fell off!

In reply to andy.smythe:


Wow I thought I was slow. If they topped out and climbed at a steady pace that would be about 4 inches climbing per minute.... you're patient (?)

In reply to zimpara:

I spent nearly 3 hours on Desolation Row - ridiculous!

In reply to zimpara:

Well it took our Good Lord 40 days after resurrection

In reply to zimpara:

You people are all amateurs. I used to climb with a man notorious for once having taken 5 hours to climb a single 100 foot pitch. Fortunately I was not with him on that occasion, but many two hour spells were spent failing on routes. The most memorable occasion was an attempt at a cruxy E2 at the Amphitheatre at Avon. He shot up to the crux, then spent two hours climbing up to look at the move then retreating to a rest. Suddenly there was a tap on my shoulder and a policeman said, ' Excuse me sir, do you think your mate wants a ladder?'

I spent the best part of an hour sitting in the pod on 'Peapod' at Curbar. Couldn't figure out what to do at the top, so just sat in a mostly comfortable 'back and front' position until finding a dose of hidden courage.

In reply to zimpara:

Pink pointing like the pros. Gonna start pre clipping all the bolts next sport climbing innit!

In reply to John2:

That's got to be one of the funniest stories on here for quite a while. Delicious.

In reply to andy.smythe:

Come on. Name names!!

In reply to zimpara:

Well, I've just spent a couple of days getting to a pitch this week in Squamish, then a day trying to do it, then not doing it 'cos I'm a chicken. Then a day running away with the haul bags etc. And that is without adding in the flight time from the UK.

In reply to zimpara:

A bitterly cold day in Dovedale. Me seconding Andy C on John Peel. Simon B leading Simon D on George. I had to hang around to join Andy on the small stance while Simon B got clear of it. Andy could not progress until Simon B had climbed the common section. There arrived Andy G and Mark doing the girdle, Orange Peel. Simon B falls off into the middle. By the time that mess was sorted, the other two parties had cleared and Andy C reached the top of our pitch I was frozen and had to follow with totally numb fingers.

In reply to Run_Ross_Run:


Was it really three hours? I was rather slow, I will admit. I don't think we'd started at 5 as I wouldn't have got off work in time. I'm still slow. Spent best part of 2 hours on Questor at Wyndcliff yesterday.

In reply to mattrm:

Shhhhh mattrm. I didn't want to mention names

It was a laugh looking back at it now.

Come on guys! Always remember, it only took three days to complete Artificial Route (VS 4c) at Widdop...and they were chiselling steps! :P

In reply to zimpara: I once started off up Great Slab (E3 5b) an hour before dusk. I was subsequently rescued by top rope from the ledge before the traverse (i.e. About 10ft off the ground) in pitch darkness some time later

In reply to Sam Beaton:
Give yourself some credit, it's more than 10 feet off the ground

In reply to zimpara:
I know someone (who has been featured climbing some hard winter stuff on here) that spent over 6hrs climbing valkyrie (the roaches one). This was about 10 years ago so I expect he is a bit quicker now!
EDIT: just noticed the title said single pitch, its still an outrageously long time though.

In reply to Somerset swede basher:

Well if we're going to multi-pitches...

One day, four of us went to do the main overhang at kilnsey on aid, climbing in two pairs. Started in the morning. We were the second team. 3 of us then had to cower on the stance under the roof while the first leader took the rest of the day making his way across. It was dark before he'd reached the lip, so we both abseiled off. Team 1 joined us in the pub just before last orders.

Later, I climbed with that leader in winter: topped out on the Ben at 10pm. No epics, just slow.