250m.
In Wainwright's pictorial guide book 5, as a summit route of ascending Skiddaw Little Man. Not really an arete at all. Rather contrived as a winter climb, but with some good, though disjointed, climbing.
Go up Millbeck to the junction of Black Beck, then take the open fell side to where a rib begins to form at around the 600m contour. The following 200m has discontinuous small crags on the left hand side of the rib. These form steps of around 4-8m, with some good climbing on each at around technical grade 2. Keep moving left at the top of each step to find the next one, with effort and a bit of tunnel vision around 5-6 such steps can be found. There is even a small pinnacle where the rib narrows that can be climbed direct.
Where the 'arete' merges with the hillside, move 70m left to find another shorter but more continuous rib, not named on the OS 1:25000 map, but here called 'Summit Rib'. This consists of stacked flakes and offers easy but enjoyable scrambling, finishing at the summit of little man.
Overall, the route is rather contrived, and is completely avoidable, but if the steps are taken direct there is a fair amount of climbing. The complete escapability makes it impossible to give an overall grade of more than I, but the length and situation, climbing a 600m face above Derwentwater and finishing directly at the summit, merits a star.
Go up Millbeck to the junction of Black Beck, then take the open fell side to where a rib begins to form at around the 600m contour. The following 200m has discontinuous small crags on the left hand side of the rib. These form steps of around 4-8m, with some good climbing on each at around technical grade 2. Keep moving left at the top of each step to find the next one, with effort and a bit of tunnel vision around 5-6 such steps can be found. There is even a small pinnacle where the rib narrows that can be climbed direct.
Where the 'arete' merges with the hillside, move 70m left to find another shorter but more continuous rib, not named on the OS 1:25000 map, but here called 'Summit Rib'. This consists of stacked flakes and offers easy but enjoyable scrambling, finishing at the summit of little man.
Overall, the route is rather contrived, and is completely avoidable, but if the steps are taken direct there is a fair amount of climbing. The complete escapability makes it impossible to give an overall grade of more than I, but the length and situation, climbing a 600m face above Derwentwater and finishing directly at the summit, merits a star.
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Route of Interest
Striding Edge (Winter)
Grade: I ***
(Helvellyn)