UKC

So... what is it?

I'm thinking about a proper gully, not a chimney. And not a winter route! For example in the vein of The Chasm, Mam Tor Gully, Clachaig Gully, Great Gully (Craig Yr Ysfa), High Tor Gully... only much harder.

I'm guessing it might be a tricky one to judge, as some of the contenders could be HXS horror shows, but it'd be interesting to know a few of the contenders. And who thrutched, scraped and dug their way up these monsters?

D.

In reply to DannyC:

What's the one on the west side of Ben Nevis that's only been climbed a few times? That should be on your list.

T.

In reply to Pursued by a bear:

Five finger gully?

In reply to Pursued by a bear:


Surgeon's Gully (V 5) (No summer entry in the logbooks!)

Raven's Gully (Summer) (HVS) is an obvious candidate!

In reply to Mark Bull:

That's the badger Mark, thank you.

T

In reply to DannyC:

Y Gully (IV 5) Haystacks: a very loose VS in summer, apparently.

In reply to DannyC:

Ben Nuis Chimney on Arran? A Puttrell horror show from 1901. Graded "VS" ( I know it's called a chimney but it's really wider than that, on UKC as "Gully 3", no recorded ascents.)
John Cunningham's version of Dalness Chasm in Glen Etive also looks considerably harder than its given grade of VS.
Aberdeen based Charles Ludwig did some vegetated desparates in the 1930s (Douglas-Gibson Gully, things on South Uist's Beinn Mhor)

In reply to DannyC:

Black Cleft on Cloggy? I haven't done it but it looks like a gully to me, I'm happy to be corrected.

In reply to abseil:

Black Cleft is definitely not a gully, it's more like a wet corner crack.

In reply to DannyC:
2 of the routes you have listed are are also winter routes!!!

West central gully on Beinn Eighe is probably awaiting a summer ascent and I suspect would be an 'e' grade.

In reply to andyinglis:

Hi Andy,
I know, I'm just asking about them as summer routes. It's funny how many of the suggestions only get VS, despite sounding pretty daunting...

D.

In reply to DannyC:
That'll be an old-fashioned VS, the sort you used to find in Yorkshire or Scotland and to which the term 'character building' might be applied. Best thought of as at least VS, and just how much of it isn't is for you and your newly-built character to discover.

T.

In reply to Al Evans:


OK, and thanks a lot for your reply.

In reply to Iain Thow:

Routes such Point Five on Nevis used to get VS (Scottish) in the old guidebook for summer, anyone know what they get in the new guide ?

In reply to Iain Thow:
Good suggestions Iain. There's a few comments online saying Ben Nuis Chimney didn't get a repeat for more than half a century (and I can't work out if that repeat was in summer or winter). Sounds tough.

It seems like Raven's Gully is the current hardest candidate. It gets more summer ascents than I'd have guessed. I love some of the logbook comments,: "Damages the parts of the brain other climbs cannot reach" ... "Biggest sandbag of all time." ... "the horror, the horror"

Any rise on HVS?

In reply to Doug:

Do you know of anyone who's done .5 when it's free of snow/ice Doug? I can't imagine there's much of a queue!

In reply to DannyC:

Be surprised if its had a second ascent in summer, but I guess there may be some folk who enjoy that sort of thing.

In reply to Doug:

Think of the loot that must be up there. Not everything tumbles all the way to the bottom

In reply to DannyC:

Another vote for Clachaig. Not particularly hard but an uninspiring and unenjoyable expedition.

Ditto Devil's Kitchen - always wet, greasy and foreboding.

In reply to Trangia:

Actually I really enjoyed Clachaig Gully, despite climbing it in a wet December - great fun until getting totally immersed on the second last pitch - and at least you're back in the pub pretty quickly!

In reply to DannyC:

Rubble (E7)

In reply to Trangia:

Pics make it look surprisingly attractive (depending on taste, I guess): Clachaig Gully (Summer) (S)

I know a lot of people say it's a very tough day, but it can't be hardest in the UK surely?

In reply to Iain Thow:

I did it on a slushy showy day one January in the sort of weather were the temperature is fractionally above freezing when you just get cold and wet from snow drops which are more like dollops than flakes.

I've had no desire to repeat it, as it made me feel cold and miserable so to be fair, I suspect it was the conditions rather than the route which gave me such a jaundiced view

I agree the pub was the highlight of the day

In reply to DannyC:

Did Great Overhanging Gully on Beinn Bhan ever get a non-winter ascent?

Having walked up there years ago and given up as too wet, it could well be the hardest

In reply to Carless:

Wow, that would be quite something in summer!

In reply to DannyC:

Have the big nevis winter gullies like zero, .5 etc been done as summer rock climbs?

In reply to Iain Thow:

Yeah, it would make a stunning rock route if it was ever dry

The only time I ever tried it, it wasn't...

In reply to Red Rover:

I think the Creagh Dhu did them back in 50s, mainly as recces for winter.

In reply to Red Rover:

All (or maybe only most ?) of them were described as summer routes in the Jimmy Marshall Nevis guide, see higher up the thread

In reply to Doug:
Ah OK thanks.

In reply to Red Rover:

Oaken Clough is fun in a deluge, but Wilderness Gully East tops it for difficulty, surely, and the pitch in Middle Black Clough wins for sheer unpleasantness.

In reply to Iain Thow:


I did it in summer (many years ago) and thoroughly enjoyed it,


Chris

In reply to Chris Craggs:

What's High Tor Gully like Chris? Is it as revolting as rumoured?

In reply to Iain Thow:


There isn't much rock in it - a bit of a totty rib to access the gully (VDiff-ish) and after that it is mostly mud-plugging through the rubbish.

Worth doing though


Chris

In reply to DannyC:

Not much climbed in either summer or winter but Central Gully Direct on Lliwedd at nearly 300mts and HVS 5b, first climbed by Menlove Edwards circa 1938 is surely worth a mention. It is the first pitch which contains the main difficulties and not a lot of pro at that!

In reply to Chris Craggs:

Cheers, will put it on the list of daft things that have to be done.

Iain

In reply to Mark Bull:



I believe it's been done twice in summer. It needs a (very) protracted dry spell

In reply to JJL:

I left behind some Marawa kidney karabiners on this route circa 1968. They were awful karabiners at that!

In reply to Chris Craggs:


I attempted it in summer and scared myself silly climbing wet rock in big boots with not much gear: we escaped up the right wall somewhere after the crux pitches, which I definitely don't recommend. That effectively ended my interest in climbing such things ever again!

In reply to Tyler:

An interesting, hard feature. But not really a gully: http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=48228

In reply to JJL:

That'll make it three

In reply to DannyC:

Mam Tor Gully is fun in winter, especially if you put a direct finish on it. Wouldn't go anywhere near it if it isn't at less five below zero!

In reply to DannyC:

Isn't there a HVS gully on Lliwedd? Central Gully perhaps. The logbooks only seem to have it as a winter route but I thought it was originally done in summer.

In reply to Dave Garnett:

'Not much climbed in either summer or winter but Central Gully Direct on Lliwedd at nearly 300mts and HVS 5b, first climbed by Menlove Edwards circa 1938 is surely worth a mention. It is the first pitch which contains the main difficulties and not a lot of pro at that!'

From Sean Kelly, some posts above.

Mick

In reply to DannyC:

One of the branches of Dalness Chasm gets E1 I think. How accurate that is is anyone's guess!

In reply to DannyC:

Are there any ones above VS in the lakes? I cant think of any

In reply to DannyC:

Insubsequenciousness (HVS 5a) is a rather interesting culm chimney / gully for some strange reason, I've climbed it twice. One for the lover of loose rock!

In reply to Trangia:
We had a fabulous enjoyable and inspiring time on the Clachaig Gully. Photos on my profile.

In reply to Pbob:
Mam Tor Gully Direct is a middling short III, finally got round to doing it a few years back, a fun team solo. This shows just how weird gully climbing is: shamefully some routes probably have had no repeats in a hundred years, others that have traffic get some bizzarre sufferfest or death on a stick reputations.

In reply to Michael Gordon:

Oooh a potential new leader, at e1. Wonder has anyone been on/in/up Dalness Chasm Right Branch since the FA?

In reply to Michael Gordon:

All still VS in my guide from a few years ago - does this mean someone has repeated them??
The middle section of the LH (Cunningham) one looks appalling, and the Central (Marshall) one not much better. The RH (Whillans) one actually does look VSish. I suspect the names of the first ascentionists tell you something!

In reply to Offwidth:

..... and in summer Mam Tor Gully with the left hand finish is just a rather loose and grassy steep walk.

In reply to Mick Ward:



Ah yes, thanks Mick (and sorry Sean) missed that on the iPhone.

I've vaguely thought about having a look but last time I was there I was mostly distracted by the massive stacks of poised blocks to the right of the main slabs. Tottering death of alpine proportions...

In reply to Mick Ward:

Joe Brown's description (in 'The Hard Years') of making the second? ascent of Central Gully Direct on Lliwedd makes it sound like at least E1.

In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

Whatever grade it it, I've always imagined it as one to avoid - and Dave's description above is, for me, the final nail in the coffin. I've never deluded myself on having similar fortitude to the likes of Brown and Edwards. Too many swift 'strategic retreats' to the cafe bear witness to this!

Looks like Central Gully Direct is, um, for other generations, whether older or younger.

Mick

In reply to JJL:
I tried to climb Surgeon's Gully once in summer and got beaten back by the sheer volume of water when trying to back and foot a chimney some 6 or 7 pitches up - and that was in a prolonged dry spell!

In reply to petegunn:

Walker's Gully is very old school VS - I think you'd struggle to do it if VS was the hardest you'd led. Steep Ghyll on Scafell is grade V in winter with poor gear - I don't know of a summer ascent but I imagine it would be a tad testing.

In reply to JJL:

Hi,
Were these recent ascents? There's quite a few threads about Surgeon's Gully (summer) on here from the last ten years, some saying it awaits a 'complete ascent', one including a quote from MacInnes from '03:

http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=83278&v=1#1115552

If not, it seems an obvious challenge for the fit, determined and hardy.

D.

In reply to DannyC:

Just remembered a couple, Chocolate Blancmange Gully at Horseshoe Quarry, given Scottish grade IV or E4 by Chris Jackson and friends, and a gully that Birtles and Proctor climbed in 'The Big Hole' near Wirksworth that sounds desperate.

In reply to DannyC:






Quite.
Looking through the SMC journals and UKC, as far as I can tell, the main gully has been climbed in summer to the traverse path as in the guides. Gordon Smith soloed the main gully in exceptional conditions in winter 77 or 78.
The summer gully has possibly not been climbed above the traverse path, the guidebooks have always been gloriously vague about it.
FWIW I did the LH gully finish the other year. Described as appearing to be an easy walk in the guide, it soon became fairly obvious that no one had considered the out of sight awkward steepenings near the top. Another fine adventure

Quite impressive is that some poor gillies have fenced ! the East side of the traverse path to the base of the upper gullies.

In reply to DannyC:

The one I heard from the horses mouth was 1976

In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

I forgot to add that Menlove's article 'A Great Effort' from the 1941 CC Journal was about an earlier solo attempt on Central Gully. Some lad Menlove!

In reply to Mick Ward:


I've just realised that it's in the Ron James guide. I'd idly wondered about ticking off the remaining routes as a retirement project and that perhaps I'd better get on with doing some of the harder ones before that, while I might still be able to get up them. CGD presents a dilemma - do I do it soon, while I still can, or leave it until the risk doesn't matter so much?

In reply to DannyC:

There's a sort of gully climb at Beachy Head put up by Mick Fowler many years ago. I don't think its that hard, about E2 perhaps, and then mainly for the unreliable rock, poor protection and sharp flints that could slice through a rope in the event of a fall. Can't remember the name of it now but I think it was behind Ethelreda's Pinnacle somewhere, Crowley's Crack maybe.

In reply to stp:

Steve, you've so sold it to me. Think I'll head in the opposite direction right now.

Mick

In reply to


Ravens Gully is actually very enjoyable - wet, a wee bit scary, atmospheric, one to keep a cool head on but a cracking day out ( or it certainly took us all day to get up and down, don't leave your sack with the approach boots in it at the bottom, doh!)

In reply to Carless:

I also went up for a summer look many years ago. I was hoping it would be a straightforward back and foot chimney! I can't remember the details except that there was a groove of gunge well below the main chimney and which put me off ever going back.

In reply to Mick Ward:

Go for it. Probably be the third ascent!

In reply to stp:

Crowley's Crack was put up by (certified Grade A nutter) Aleister Crowley surely?

Mick Fowler has done some full-on things at Beachy Head but (as far as I'm aware..) not a gully, though I could be wrong. Good Ben Bransby piece in this CC Journal: http://climbers-club.co.uk/journal/original/1998%20Journal-p125-128.pdf

D.

In reply to DannyC:

Crowley's Crack was put up by Fowler on one of his earlier visits before Monster Crack. Probably not much of a gully, kind of the side of gully wall perhaps. Many years since I was there so my memory is pretty hazy. Crowley climbed Ethelreda's Pinnacle which is a fair bit easier.

Good piece by Bransby. I liked this description of Monster Crack:

When you're doing 6a moves 15 feet above a wobbly warthog with sharp flints to cut your ropes and one of your footholds falls off, you get a big adrenalin rush. Well, I had a non-stop adrenalin rush for all that first 45m. And then it got really scary - very chalky and loose.

In reply to DannyC:

Much harder than High Tor Gully,when muddy? Not possible!