UKC

So I was climbing on Stanage Popular yesterday (Thursday) and managed to cram in quite a few 3 star or top 50 routes (according to Rockfax) whilst I was there. This made me think; whilst they were pretty good, are there any other classic routes offering excellent climbing anywhere on Stanage that have not been given such accreditation? A bit similar to those hit singles which never made the UK number one spot but should have.

I am interested in hearing the opinions of other people's favourite routes on Stanage regardless of how good any guidebook states they are as no two climbers are the same. What one may consider to be excellent may not be a view shared by another and vice versa.

Please feel free to disclose below any of your most favourite routes of any grade on any area of Stanage (be it North, Plantation or Popular), for example a top 10 or top 5 and let's see what we get!

In reply to Rocknast:

Stanage is probably the most climbed on, best checked, most accurately describe crag in the country - I don't think there are any unsung gems lurking out there,

Chris

c1,081 routes on Stanage and counting

In reply to Chris Craggs:

I totally disagree. Stanage is one of my favourite crags precisely because it's covered in unsung gems. I've spent several brilliant days climbing unstarred routes there, and you can have a cracking day out without seeing another party on the little buttresses between the Plantation and High Neb, and another between High Neb and Stanage End.

I honestly can't name a bad route I've done on the crag.

VoM (c. 514 routes on Stanage and counting)

In reply to Rocknast:

Up in the northern reaches, i once had a fantastic summer evening doing valediction and old salt, both hvs, both great climbing. Not a soul around besides us. I bet surgeon's saunter direct *** gets fewer ascents than all the other *** hvss at Stanage too although its just as good.

In reply to Rocknast:
Stanage has tons and tons of hidden gems. Not necessarily 3 star routes but loads of good quality wit no stars in the guidebook.
I'll make a list later when I'm not trying to type on my phone
1069 different routes and counting ( but I'm going to have to do a load soon to get past chris's total )
I can't think of any bad routes I've done at Stanage, ever.

In reply to victim of mathematics:
There is the odd bad listed route (quite a few in the pebbly wall area) and plenty unlisted ones but you are right that the average quality of the listed no star routes at Stanage is consistently impressive and unlike Chris I still love climbing the unsung stuff, especially away from the crowds; maybe they are cheap gems but they are way more fun than most climbs for no stars. I'm a couple of hundred yet off reaching the thousand listed lines and one of the few to explore the lower grade gaps but still nothing like bored.

Moff and I have helped with all the latest BMC guides and a few others besides and give our own views and star ratings here:

http://offwidth.uptosummit.com/guides.html

In reply to victim of mathematics:

Go on then - give me five unsung (unstarred?) routes then that should be given a better coverage due to their quality?

Chris

In reply to Chris Craggs:

Quite hard, because the UKC database now only shows the Rockfax version, which gives a star to pretty much everything

But the following would get a star elsewhere
Neb Corner
Angus
Nice One
Slanting Chimney
Newhaven
Fallen Pillar Chimney

In reply to victim of mathematics:


Yes, but a lot of them are very ordinary. Just climbing up from one rounded break to the next with the odd hand jam thrown in. Some of the ones at the popular end are embarrassingly undistinguished. And don't ask me to rummage around in old guidebooks to give you examples; life is too short.

In reply to Cake:


Yes, what fabulous routes. What is really shocking is just how lazy many modern climbers are. The only reason they are are relatively neglected is that you have to walk a bit further to reach them.

In reply to Simon Caldwell:









I think that list reinforces my idea that there aren't any 'unsung gems' lurking out there!


Chris

Thanks for suggestions guys!

Just to confirm, I wasn't necessarily looking for any "undiscovered gems", but instead just looking for people's opinions of their favourite routes there even if they're not rated highly in any guidebooks.

Keep them coming

Jamie

In reply to Chris Craggs:

As Simon said most Rockfax routes get stars but compared to some of the shite on bolted limestone the Stanage stars look mean.

Of routes mainly in the lower grades at Stanage with no Eastern Grit stars, I like: Cat Crawl; Heather Crack (Knutter area); Uno Crack; Typical Grit; High Neb Girdle; Nice One; Burgess Crack Outside Exit; Slanting Chimney; Trench Deadlock; BGM's Slab; Protractor; Afterthought; Additive Chimney; Corner Crack; Fun Solo; Older Still; Pisa Crack; Fit as a Butchers Dog; Mistella; Triplet; Connellys Variation; Premier; Robin Hoods Staircase Direct; Leaning Buttress Gully; Birch Tree Wall; Burgess Variation; Beggars Crack; Manchester United; Nicheless Direct; Gashed Crack. Nothing outstanding but a nice tick list for the jaded.

In reply to Rocknast:

The first 5 off the top of my head are
Right unconquerable
Eliminator
Hollybush crack
Heaven Crack
Grovel, you don't know the meaning of the word

There's loads more though

In reply to Offwidth:

Still 6 to go off that lot. The only one of those I've done I didn't enjoy is Corner Crack, which not being a thug I thought was horrible. Would add Life Begins at 40, Centrepiece, Eyes and Spare Rib to the list.

Iain (800ish, I think)

In reply to Gordon Stainforth:


To each his own, but yours sounds grumpy and no fun. If you don't like 'just climbing up from one rounded break to the next with the odd hand jam thrown in' then I feel like grit probably isn't the optimal medium for you.

In reply to victim of mathematics:

I enjoyed climbing on grit for 40 years, thanks, VoM, and much preferred it in the Peak to limestone (partly because it always felt a bit alien to me). But much other climbing was as good or better.

In reply to dr_botnik:

Yeah I climbed Heaven Crack yesterday too to warm up on. A classic example of a route which u just want to carry on forever lol brilliant stuff! Not surprised that was voted in Top 50

In reply to Rocknast:

It's lovely, but it's just so short. Is it really any better than say Pig's Nose at Bowles Rocks (which made a superb solo if you moved left below the final overhang)? Or that wonderful Hard Severe up the west side of the Inaccessible Pinnacle at Robin Hood's Stride?

In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

I know it's off topic, because it's not Stanage, but here's the Inaccessible Pinnacle route at Robin Hood's Stride - a picture I took for my Peak book with Johnny Dawes:

http://www.gordonstainforthbelper.co.uk/images/InPinRHStrideDawes.jpg

In reply to Chris Craggs:

Presumably 'hidden gem' = 'a climb I liked'...no problem with that but as CC says - the quality analyses have been done; beyond that its even more qualitative - so go and find out!

In reply to Rocknast:


Sometimes I'd solo Heaven Crack again and again and again. Like a mantra. It's just so joyous. Yes, it's tiny but... it's a tiny goddess.

Mick

In reply to Offwidth:

Yes! That's the kind of list I was looking for. I'll check some of those out on my next visit. Cheers for that

In reply to Rocknast:

Here's a few of my favourites:

Providence (E1 5c) - a poor man's Elegy, but really exciting!
Flesh and Blood (E1 5b) - they don't come much more obscure than this...scrittly highball fun!
Sudoxe (HVS 5b) - lovely climbing on nice little holds
Titanic Direct (HVS 5a) - has everything: bold slab, steep crack, juggy roof, and 5a all the way
The Count (E2 5c) - the dodgy flake's a bit off-putting, but great climbing with an exciting finish
Count's Crack (VS 4c) - easily the best VS crack on the crag
Daydreamer (E2 6b) - technical slab climbing at its best

In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

Old Salt's OK, but Valediction's bloody awful! Hate that route...how much uncomfortable awkwardness can you pack into about 7m of slippery polished quarry?

I am however a big fan of the clutch of superb micro-routes just there:

Monad (f6C+) - looks crap, has no line, but is really cool
Quiver (HVS 5c) - took me ages to get this one; now I know where the holds are it's a regular, but bloody'ell it's stiff at HVS
Arrow Crack (VS 5a) - the warm-up, good rock, good moves, hard top!
Microbe (f5+) - my mate pulled off the starting hold, and it's now even better Well perhaps not, but it's a slightly harder and still totally brilliant highball
Germ (f6B) - it's not over 'til it's over!
Love Handles (f6A) - yet another brilliant, sustained problem

It really is an incredible amount of class packed into a tiny little bit of crag. God bless Stanage!

In reply to Jon Stewart:

Ahh yes, titanic direct rings a bell. Really is a bit of everything all merged into one. Can't think of many other single routes that offer that! Brilliant stuff!!