UKC

Hey guys!

I have an unhealthy obsession with Shelterstone Crag. Climbing really kicked off for me when I did the Needle, I've since climbed the crag a few times by a few of the classic routes, though admittedly the nearest I've ever been to the central slabs was a summer ascent of citadel.

The huge diedre of Thor and the completely immaculate nature of the rock on the central slabs as well as the difficulty of a lot of the climbs has always fascinated me. My question is who has even done the E7's and the one E8 on the central slabs? apart from the first ascentionists? They're supposed to be some of the best and hardest slab climbs in the country so I'd expect to have heard a bit more about them, but whenever I try to find anything out about the climbs there's no information to be found anywhere.

It'd be cool to hear if anyone has some cool stories about these routes or if we can work out if anyone bar Julian Lines has actually done them? Has Dave Mac even climbed them? Also if someone can draw the lines of the routes on a photo that'd be really cool also, I've spent a while in the past poring over pictures and reading descriptions to try and work out where they go, to little avail.

In reply to CaelanB:
Dave refers to 'Icon of Lust' (E8 6c***) in his blog here when contemplating the grade of TWOL:
http://davemacleod.blogspot.co.uk/2009/01/therapy.html

...but I'm not clear if he climbed it or not. He makes reference to TWOL being suited to Julian Lines and James McHaffie as likely suitors for it, and a bit of further googling from there suggests Jules lines was the FA of Icon. I've read his book but can't remember that part tbh, although it'll no doubt in there somewhere.

Edit: oops, just saw you asked 'who apart from the FA', sorry!

In reply to CaelanB:

I can't answer your question I just wanted to say it's good to see youngsters obsessing over stuff like this! I spent lots of time reading the route descriptions and FA/history notes in various CC guides - the CC guides are worth getting if you don't have them for this alone.

God, can't believe I called someone a youngster, maybe I should have said yoof....

In reply to Fraser:

No worries fraser, to be honest any information would be appreciated, I guess I'm just keen to piece together a bit of history on these climbs. The only bits I've stumbled on so far are the very same blogpost by Dave Mac you referenced, and I read a story in the great mountain crags of Scotland about one of the E7's on the slabs though I can't remember too much about it other than it seemed to paint a picture of congestion on the central slabs which couldn't be further removed from what I see nowadays.

In reply to CaelanB:

Aphrodite got repeated last year. Third ascent presumably.

In reply to Robert Durran:

do you have any more info on the ascent, or stuff I could read whilst procrastinating?

In reply to CaelanB:


http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=69265

In reply to CaelanB:

Yes, a stunning bit of rock. Prior to that ascent last year I think maybe only Jules has repeated the E7s? No-one has repeated Icon of Lust - Dave MacLeod had a look a while ago and said 'E8' but didn't get on the lead. The last chapter of Greg Strange's (excellent) book has some background info on Rick Campbell's routes.

The Pin at E2 is worth doing and gets you marginally closer to these lines.

In reply to CaelanB:

I was lucky enough to be climbing on Shelterstone Crag when Jules did the FA of one of the harder ones of these routes (presumably the E8?).

We walked in with him and a little pearl of wisdom that he said was that he would always walk in the day before, to save his legs for the hard slab moves!

Would love to do "Realm of the Senses"!!!

In reply to CaelanB:

http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/profile.php?id=13400 shares your unhealthy obsession with Shelterstone slabs. I'm not sure which routes he's done but I suspect he can answer your questions. It's a spectacular piece of stone and even the easier lines are pretty exciting.
jk

In reply to Gus:


I think Cubby's photo of Jules in extremis on Realm of the Senses is possibly the best rock climbing photo I have ever seen. Can't find a link to it. It was in a calendar I had a few years back!

In reply to CaelanB:

Probably going to be heading into shelterstone early summer, and want a crack at some of the hard(er) slab lines while im am there. Get in touch if you're interested in joining forces.

In reply to CaelanB:

I know that Murdoch Jamieson and Ian Small repeated one of the E7's on the slabs in 2014, the E6 The Run of the Arrow has had a few repeats.

I did The Missing Link last year and found it hard. I fell off the traverse and took a big one! I don't quite know how I fell and was right at the end of the tricky bits. Graham Tyldesley took over and seemed to find it hard too. I thought E56a was fair, and I know others who agree. The amazing thing about missing link is you look down where Icon of Lust comes up. It defies belief that someone has climbed it. Looks like a totally blank slab that is too steep to pad up. Julian must have wings!

In reply to Gus:

Yeah that was Icon of Lust. I have an amazing photo somewhere of Jules in his white t-shirt, all alone about to rock over onto the slab. Looks an absolutely amazing route. One double zero friend for 20m of climbing or something like that...

Funny how Dave M thought E8 but didn't get on the lead...

In reply to Dangerous Dave:

Maybe not wings, but he definitely had a strange hair cut, which may or may not have aeronautical properties...

In reply to Smelly Fox:


Do you think we could see said photo?

In reply to CaelanB:

Its in a box at the moment, as I'm moving house. I'll try and find it, scan it and post it in a couple of weeks (it was taken on 35mm film).

In reply to Dangerous Dave: I'm with you re Missing Link and thought it was very bold and technical. How Jules used the holds I was toiling to stand on to come up what is a very steep slab I do not know, and I've seen him doing his thing on a steep slab. For me (though not in the grade of the OP), of the ones I've done Cupid's Bow is the one I enjoyed most as it has a lot of variety and they say the cam I missed below the crux is bomber.

In reply to Neil Morrison:


A friend of mine snapped the original peg at the crux and was held by, I think, a half in friend zero! It has to be one of the most inspiring lines/features in the country.

In reply to Neil Morrison:


Have you done Thor as well? Just out of interest.

In reply to CaelanB:

Hi,
Both myself and Murdo did the main big pitch of Aphrodite in 2014. On our initial attempt the peg on the 6b roof pitch just disintegrated when I clipped it. Rather than contemplating the leg breaking fall ,we returned tooled up and replaced it . I think the snapped peg on Cupid's Bow has been replaced? Excellent route. It would be worth taking some old wires and tat to replace the ab stations, they are looking rather tired .
Hopefully it's a dry summer for the mountains. Cheers Iain

In reply to smally:
All this information is making me seriously consider going up and cleaning a lot of the crack lines and re-pegging and tatting everything that needs it. Not that I'm capable of doing the routes, but I'd like to see other people who are capable more keen to give them a try and if they know that the routes are in good nick they might be more inclined.

If I get round to it I'll probably message some of you guys to get some info on what's what, so I don't get anything wrong.

I'll think more seriously about it when I have more time. Exams at the moment.

In reply to Andy Moles: Yes, done Thor, good but maybe just too tenuous going passed the old golos or whatever they were and the second main pitch felt hard and nasty straight off the belay. Done Run of the Arrow as well which is very, very good but feel that Cupid's has the edge for line and climbing. Run of the arrow feels well lonely and bold when you are out of sight of your belayer and working your way up into the cul de sac of a crux. So great but a different and hugely memorable experience.