UKC

Hi all - I have an opportunity for a mid-week day out, not with any of my usual partners but with a couple of slightly less experienced friends. I'd like to get a bit of a 'mountain feel' on a multi-pitch, probably in North Wales as that's marginally easier for me (travelling from west mids). So, any recommendations for something roughly around HVS? or less, if it's good enough value (Main Wall?) I'd be leading all pitches so something with enough space on belays for me and two seconds would be ideal... and we all prefer technical/slabby to burly overhangs. Possibly an Idwal/Holly Tree/Continuation link-up followed by Grey Arete? or anything other recommendations? cheers

In reply to ripper:
Go for Mur y Nwl- THE classic VS in the area. Comfy belays -we did it as a rope of 4-one leader and 3seconds!! But only if at least one of your partners is happy on 4c traverses. The weakest link can go in the middle.

Then chose an option form classic severe Pinnacle Wall brill or another VS to return to top of crag. Gear up at top of climb before descending and stash your sacks out of site. Same approach as for Amphitheatre Buttress.

In reply to ripper:
Super Direct on Milestone Buttress. 1st pitch is good, 2nd is trash (may as well do P2 on the VDiff Direct Route), 3rd pitch is the main attraction. Airy thin traverse, then big moves up the crack. Massive belay ledges, bomber spike belays, good value!

Edit: Just looked at your profile. Looks like you know it's good!

In reply to ripper:

kirkus route direct on cwm silyn has belays with some space if I remember rightly

In reply to ripper:
Diagonal/West Rib followed by Mole on Dinas Mot?
Also, preface Holly Tree Wall with Tennis Shoe direct (no deviation allowed).

In reply to Sean Kelly:

The first belay on Diagonal is way to small for three!

In reply to ripper:

I had a good day out recently in a 3 on Idwal->Glyder Fawr: Ordinary Route/Lazarus/The Arete, followed by Central Arete over on Glyder Fawr (in the Ground Up but not the Rockfax, 200m or so VDiff, you have to traverse right for a bit off the top of Idwal to a ridge right of a gully?). There was plenty of moving together though to keep it quick, then nip to the summit and down via Devil's Kitchen.

See also:
http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=435

In reply to ianstevens:


Why is that problem?

In reply to ripper: Bochlwyd Buttress.

In reply to ripper:

Tennis shoe.
Javilin buttress.
Continuation crack.
Grey arete.
Perfect day out.

In reply to ripper:

Something on Milestone buttress then onto east face of tryfan.

Spoilt for choice in north wales though.

In reply to Sean Kelly:


"I'd be leading all pitches so something with enough space on belays for me and two seconds would be ideal"

From the OP's own mouth. Good route though!

In reply to ripper:

Dream of White Horses. I've taken two seconds up it before and it worked well.

In reply to ripper:

main wall is one of the best routes in Wales so can't go wrong really

the Dinas mot "nose" routes mostly have good stances direct route won't dissapoint

In reply to ripper:

Super Direct on Milestone Buttress
Plexus on Dinas Mot (its got a wee overhang but the slab pitches before are sublime)
Tennis Shoe (Direct Start) - Javelin Blade - Continuation Crack - Grey Arete - and if you're hardcore enough I guess you could continue up Seniors Ridge or Cneifion Arete but you'd have to be quick at this time of year!

Also some good routes in Cwm Silyn which may be worth a look at too..

Have a good one!

In reply to Samuel Wainwright:

Did Noah's Warning on Cromlech the other day. Gets VS but felt HVS to me. 2 pitches, nice big ledge half way up, direct line so OK to second on singles. Gets sun and is good too. It's one of 3 at around VS, all next to each other.

In reply to Owen W-G:

good call they're all good and sunny may be important.

super direct on mile stone is pretty average and unlikely to be sunny.

In reply to alasdair19:

?? sunny from the afternoon?

In reply to ripper:

Thanks guys, some great suggestions. As it turned out there were five of us, including a couple of slightly less experienced friends, so we split into two teams and went up Idwal Slabs/Holly Tree Wall/Continuation Wall by various combinations of routes (including Tennis Shoe and Javelin Buttress in my case). We were slow so by then it was getting late, we went off the Easy Way Down, then had a swim in Llyn Idwal before heading home via the chippy in Betws. Not a bad way to spend a weekday!

In reply to Sean Kelly:

>Diagonal/West Rib followed by Mole on Dinas Mot?

Good grief, that's an abysmal suggestion, stopping only just short of attempted manslaughter bearing in mind what the man asked.

jcm

In reply to ripper:

If you've not done Main Wall I'd have thought that would fit what you describe nicely; obviously it's easier, but it's really good, big stances, pretty relaxed, etc. Kirkus Direct another idea (tho' did I read something about a rockfall on this cliff?'.

jcm

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

Just for info I did kirkus direct on sat after being intimidated by jabberwocky. I must admit I couldnt really find the right line on the top pitch but the climbing was good. It looked like somthing big had fallen off the top recently bt the scarring and chips on a lot of ledges near the top this didn't affect the climbing though. And yes the belay ledges were big.

In reply to ripper:

Avernus or Fantam B one presumes.

In reply to Fiend:

I think a rock climb was specified? I seem to recall avernus is predominantly grass based climbing with the odd bush for pro

In reply to ebdon:

The OP's 'couple of slightly less experienced friends' might well have kittens on Avernus. If anything happened to the OP, they'd be well stuffed. Both my partner (a leading Welsh guide) and I felt that Avernus is a serious proposition. We did it in drought conditions; if it was damp, it would be even more serious. Rubbish pro. Awkward route-finding; on one pitch, if you go the wrong way (and it's not obvious), again you could be stuffed. Wouldn't be a bundle of joy to retreat from, either. Hopefully I'm not selling it to the OP and his mates.

Mick

P.S. It's a long way up and a long way back down again. Paul Williams wrote something like, "collapse gratefully in your car!" and that's pretty much what we did.

In reply to Mick Ward:

God yes! I presume the suggtion was a joke. I think Scottish V 4 Is a more fitting grade for avernus. I was leading E2 when I did it and found it pretty intimidating, me and my partner told our girlfriends wed only be a few hours as it was "only hvs" needless to say we didnt get back until after dark.

In reply to ebdon:

Agreed, grades go right out the window. We did it as a party of three with a very young (15?) Will Perrin (RIP). Although Will was racing through the grades and, frighteningly quickly, would be doing E7/F8a+ on slate, we wouldn't let him lead on Avernus! Back then, he just hadn't done enough of that kind of 'ledge shuffling towards oblivion'. Consequently he dozed innocently on the ample ledges, while whoever was leading crapped themselves and the belayer nervously awaited their next foray on the sharp end.

There are routes... and there are routes. Avernus is one of the latter.

Mick

In reply to Mick Ward:

I assume fiend was being 'funny' with his suggestions.

How we laughed...

In reply to ripper:

Jubilee Climb was thoroughly enjoyable as a 3. Burly crux and a nice variety of styles on other pitches.

In reply to ripper:

Hylldrem Girdle on Carreg Hylldrem - done it several times including as a party of three - other bonus is it stays dry, handy poor weather alternative