Bob Hickish has added a hard new sport route to Blackers Hole in Dorset. His new 8c route Endeavour is described:
35m. Start up Infinite Gravity to level with the 10th bolt, swing out left past a large hanging spike and underneath the big roof to deposit you at the bottom of the hanging 30 degree orange wall that makes the other side of the huge ships prow. Climb this with hard moves on pockets to join the Laughing Arthur roof crack half way along. Finish rightwards along this to the belay at the end of Laughing Arthur pitch 2.
FA. Bob Hickish 15/Sep/2011
Hickish is no stranger to Blackers Hole, having been part of the team that re-equipped and climbed Laughing Arthur back in November 2010 (UKC News).
Hickish, climbing with Dave Pickford, has also added an E6 to Blackers Hole and an E8 to the very steep crag of Berry Head.
The E6, The Aquatic Ape, is a three pitch route tackling the pillar and roof left of Schwarzchild Radius. There's a full route description in the UKC Logbooks.
The E8 at Berry Head, called Cro-Magnum, is a line that Dave Pickford had been eying up for some years. Bob took the reins and led this wild pitch.
Pickford commented:
"The name, Cro-Magnum is a pun on Cro-Magnon. The route is E8 6c - it's a horizontal French 8a on spaced gear and rotten pegs!"
The route is described:
4 pitches. The old aid route/project underneath the roof pitches of Caveman. From the belay at the end of pitch 1 of Caveman, traverse horizontally rightwards for 8m to a big niche. Swing round the corner into a smaller niche with in-situ thread. Make hard moves rightwards, under two very old pegs, to arrive at a semi-rest (another old peg up to the right). Make tricky moves 3m upwards into the red rock strata, then make the crux moves rightwards on small holds (a final old peg) to a large rail, swing along this to then rock over the lip onto the slab and move rightwards to the belay at the end of pitch 2 of Depth Charge. Finish as for Depth Charge.
FA. Bob Hickish & Dave Pickford 10/Sep/2011
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