UKC

I'm hoping that someone who has done Tower Crack (HVS 5b) can tell me what I was doing wrong this morning when I got thoroughly spanked by it this morning! I've been doing OK on grit (and even a few limestone) HVSs this year, leading a number and seconding plenty more - all cleanly. I seconded Maupassant (HVS 5a) on Friday evening (having failed to o/s last year) and it felt like a piece of p*** in comparison to Tower Crack today. I like jamming - jamming routes are what I do best on - so I thought I might have a chance, but it was actually trying to get out of the crack and onto the ledge (which both guides mention as "tricky") that defeated me. I did Tower Gully (VS 4b) after, in order to ab down and get my runners out, so actually had a look at the ledge from above, and I really don't think I missed anything obvious.

Any good tales of battles past from folk who have done it? Was I missing something? Is Tower Crack a particularly hard Hard Very Severe? Cheers!

*Edit* Interestingly, having put the link into my post above, I see it currently comes up as HVS 5b although on my logbook page it still shows as HVS 5a. UKC are clearly hedging their bets currently.

In reply to TobyA:

Yep. It's a monster that one. I bled and scratched and fought and cried on it. I've done it twice now, and it really does not get any easier. However, it is a great route and very worthwhile with some great climbing on it. Perhaps the grade is more suited to Curbar!

In reply to TobyA:

It's one of those Hvs's that's just plain hard work. When it gets hard you've just got to grit your teeth and thug, thug, thug. Eventually you'll find yourself swimming onto the ledge
Did you have a go at tower chimney while you were there? Another route very much in the same vein

In reply to deacondeacon and gribble:

Cheers! I got my feet high on to the break on right of the crack from the one decent handjam that is just below the ledge/shelf/dirty-green-slopey-thingy. So I was all set to flop onto the ledge - eyeballing it and everything - but there are no real holds on it, the crack chokes down into nothingness. So my right hand was jammed lowish, one foot up high (so all scrunched up) and just slapping around ineffectually with my left trying to find anything I could hang onto to pull onto it. But I didn't and gravity did its thing very shortly there after!

Didn't try Tower Chimney - I have thought before that if there are any E1s on Stanage that I could do, that might be one, but after the Tower Crack debacle I was feeling a bit pitiful and wussy. As it was, Tower Gully turned out to be and ridiculous Wideboyz-esque struggle of arm barring and squeeze chimney, so after that it was time to go home for coffee and snooze!

In reply to TobyA:

Just change your style of route lol. Loads of E1s at Stanage that are easier than Tower Crack.

In reply to TobyA:

I once followed a mate up it whose parents had arranged to walk along the edge and meet up with us for a sandwich at some point during the day. They found where we were by following the sound of me bellowing, cursing and swearing my way up it

In reply to TobyA:

Tower crack was one of the hardest VS in the old blue guide . My trick was to start the top sequence of jamming on what feels like the wrong hand and you will find it all drops into place at the ledge.

In reply to TobyA:

Don't know, but always good to put a face to a name. I spoke to you whilst my mate was on Tower Face Direct.

In reply to Oli:

Oh cool - hi again Oli! Anni, my partner, was trying to talk me into having a crack at the HVS version of Tower Face, but after popping off Tower Crack I was sort of running out of necessary amount of "GRRRRrrrrr" I need to try grit HVSs.

Hope you guys had a good day.

In reply to TobyA:

Hi Toby,

I was leading E3 when I did it, plus done lots of crack apprenticeships in USA. Getting onto the ledge took me absolutely ages and is completely desperate! I reckon USA 10c/d for the crux

Tower chimney is probably the hardest E1 at stanage! But it is truly amazing, I grunted and swore and couldn't believe I stayed in it! Just go and do the link or easter rib instead

In reply to ashtond6:


Ha ha! FWIW, I've onsighted plenty of Norwegian 6 cracks, and Tower Crack felt harder than any of them, so 5.10c/d or hard Norwegian 6 we'll call it.

In reply to TobyA:

Its just "one of those" gritstone HVSs that balances the soft touch ones and long may it remain HVS for that reason. I've succeeded on it once and failed on it once. Success I think is just a function to the amount of "oomph" you put in. He who hesitates has lost it !

In reply to TobyA:

Try Nursery Crack (HVS 5c) then! I tried this, admittedly in the blazing heat of summer. I was the rank incompetent in the party, both others onsight E5 and one has climbed F8b and f8a recently. Only one of us managed to lead it, and it wasn't me!

In reply to danm:

Ha!... I managed that eventually. Not tried Tower Crack or Chimney yet.

In reply to TobyA:

it's grim and the e1 to the r really is a full grade harder. tower face would probably have made you fell better!

In reply to TobyA:
^ This. Tower Face probably would have cheered you up a bit after getting spanked by the crack.

I have the honour that my attempt to second Tower Chimney gave Big Ron a good laugh. I was oblivious to anything but my own pain, but according to my partner while I was cursing and struggling throwing all sorts of shapes, Ron was walking down through the plantation, stopped to watch for a bit and evidently found it all highly amusing.

Incidentally, the VS that starts up Tower Chimney then traverses around the arete and across to the top half of Tower Face is much more satisfying than the guidebook would have you believe. It's a bit of a mini-adventure.

In reply to TobyA:

I got hauled up it by a friend ages ago and thought that years later I'd give it a go on lead, I get destroyed by it and then my friend got the same treatment.

I think it's one of those "from the days when men were men..." routes.

In reply to danm:

If you want another VS sandbag at that end of Stanage get a route called 'Little Things'.
Reckoned to be more like E4 6b lol (although I haven't tried it yet, I'm going to soon).

Little Things (E2 6a)

In reply to Offwidth:


Really?! I thought you had done just about everything on Stanage up to that sort of grade! Give it a blast! Now, considering your online moniker, have you done Tower Gully? Definitely got some offwidthy action going even if it is more a squeeze chimney in parts. Grazed both elbows while arm barring and chicken winging. Good moves for 4b!