UKC

Be curious to know what everyone's opinion is on best lines in Stanage (6a-7c). What kinda style it is and why it's a must. First time going there and want to have a focussed first bash at some good lines as it's a massive trek up for me (classics or otherwise).

Any particular tips or things I should know when climbing gritstone in Stanage? Thanks!

It ain't Sport

Not quite clear what grading you mean. UK tech, Font, or French. 6a to 7c is quite a range. I reckon it's nearly impossible to make a meaningful top 5 covering such a range. Or do you mean top 5 at every grade?

If you mean routes, have a look at the current (2007) definitive guidebook. 

There are dozens of little "My Favourite Five" panels dotted throughout the book where famous, less famous and infamous climbers choose 5 lines and say why.  (If you do mean routes, they cover an even bigger grade range than you're asking about.)

Good point - yes of course I meant font grades. Ok let's narrow this down. f6b-f7b

Not sure what that implies?

Useful, thanks.

To be clear I'm there for bouldering only!

That you're using the wrong grading system, it looked like sport grades 

So do you actually mean recommend 5 bouldering problems f6b-f7b?

Your OP was a bit ambiguous - it wasn't clear that you weren't talking about routes and using French grades.  If you'd mentioned bouldering or posted it in the 'bouldering' forum it would have been a bit clearer, but no worries we all know what you're talking about now.

Now that you've narrowed the grade range a bit, it's become even more obvious that I'm too punterish to have anything to offer.  Don't spend all your time at the Plantation though. 

Actually, if it's a long journey for you to get to the Peak, don't spend all your time at Stanage even.  Go and have a look at Robin Hood's Stride if you can, it's a magical place.

No, he means F6B-F7B smart arse  

• Bullworker 6B
• Steep Traverse 6C
• Glass Hour 7A
• Captain Hook 7B
• Twister 7B

I'm seriously wondering if this is a spoof. 'IN Stanage', 'a massive trek up', 'particular tips when climbing gritstone' ... ?

Thanks for an actual answer. I kind of just need a heads up to highlight some of the better problems.

Unfortunately, no one can be told what the grit is. You have to see it and climb it for yourself.

Exactly

So what's your point? What's wrong with someone asking about general pointers for climbing on a new rock type/crag?

Best lines or best problems? I think I could give a different answer for each, although I'll grant you that the best lines tend to be the best problems too. That said there's a lot of non-lines that climb exceptionally well...

Anyhow, here's a few off the top of my head:

The Plantation Classics

None of these will come as too much of a surprise, but if you haven't done them they're all ace and all very different from one another.

Crescent Arête (f5+)/Crescent Arête Right-hand (f6B+) Not to be Taken Away (f6C) Glass Hour (f7A) Satin (f7A) Help the Young (f7A+)

Stanage North Circuit

There's a tonne of other problems to warm up on at the Causeway, plus the Buckstone to play around on, not to mention further offerings over towards the North, but this is a cracking off-piste circuit where you're likely to see a fraction of the people you would at Plantation!

Central Buttress Direct (f6C) Iain's Prow (f6C) Cock 'O The Rock (f6C+) The Buckstone Dyno (f7B) Beauty (f6C) The Beast (f7B+)

Sure there's 101 other problems I could recommend, but that'll do for now

I would also add that I would not be tempted to try the Joker, Snatch, Brad Pit or even Zippy’s Traverse in the current weather, they will suck you in with that “almost there” hook, trash your fingers and psyche. BP and Zippy’s might be in condition at night or if an almighty breeze gets kicked up. For the others you need 1-5 degrees C with a oncoming wind or low humidity.

Other excellent slightly harder problems include, Help The Young 7A (hard), Brass Monkeys 7C, and Deliverance 7B+.

This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill the story ends, you wake up in your bed and go back to climbing at the local wall. You take the red pill, you stay in the Peak, and I show you how deep the jams go.

7a let alone 7b is out of my league but I would say in the price range and having been out with some stronger folk I would suggest

1. Satin, such a strong line.

2. Silk, a thing of beauty at any grade. 

3. Not to be taken away obvs. because I have done it and it is a stunning line.

4. DIY  a highball (I bottled it) but a real gem to return to.

5. Green Traverse for historical reasons.
 

People say "in Font", so if the OP's primarily a boulderer, that's probably where they picked up that turn of phrase.

It's not like they said "Peaks" or anything truly heretical like that ...

If you live in London, and especially if you don't have a car, then making it to Stanage does take a bit of logistical planning. Massive trek might be a bit of hyperbole, but you can't just pop out for the afternoon..

Out of curiosity, why would it be weird or trollish to ask that if you've never climbed on grit before? The OP's probably heard that climbing on grit is very different from other rock types -- which is true.

OP: take your best smearing shoes as well as your down-turned ones, expect to have to recalibrate your brain's sense of what a "foothold" is, don't be alarmed if you get spanked on something that's allegedly a grade you expect to warm up on, learn to love the balance-y friction-y weird-body-tension no-actual-holds thing of it all, and bring some industrial-strength hand balm to repair your shredded skin afterwards. Oh, and don't be surprised if you wake up the next morning feeling like you've been in a bar fight. This too is normal for grit.

Enjoy.

Isn't that an essential part of the great gritstone experience?

 'a massive trek up',

Well S London to stanage driving on a friday evening can easily be 6+ hours with the traffic. 

If you haven't climbed on Grit before then be prepared for the fact that it takes some getting used to - don't expect to be able to instantly climb at the same sort of grade you can indoors. If you focus on a tick list you probably come away disappointed.

Crescent Arete (Rob says f5+ but to me it's always been HVS 5c) is an absolute gem, but I'll be mightily impressed by anyone who can just rock up and do it straight away. 

As Rob says the Plantation is a good place to start - Pebble Arete is a good warm up for Crescent Arete. 

Oh, I see. I thought he meant the walk up to the crag! You're probably right. 

My earlier comment was not meant to be taken too seriously - it simply crossed my mind that the post might actually be a fake (presumably for a bit of fun).

I've moved this to the bouldering forum to, hopefully, avoid further confusion about grades.

Are you mental? Both crap! You left out crescent arete (rh to make the grade, but obvs do both) and ntbta, obviously the best problems there. 

Now you're talking. 

Above my grade now, but is it possible for a "best line" to be an arse-scraper?

I'd go with the highball stuff left of the plantation: DIY, shock horror slab, daydreamer. Also satin. But that would cram about 8 problems 6a-7a into a top 5 up to 7b...

• Bullworker (f6B)
• Steep Traverse (f6C)
• Glass Hour (f7A)
• Captain Hook (f7B)
• Twister (f7B)

If you do a text selection in the edit window and click on the Insert Climb Link bit at the top you can insert these dynamic links, as above.

You don't need to copy/paste into the input box anymore, just select the text click the input box, then click on the climb in the dropdown list. It'll replace the current selection with the link.

I'm inclined to agree. Captain Hook is a good example of a problem that climbs really well, but doesn't exactly look much. That and the crux - particularly if you're tall - is not dabbing.

Couldn't agree more with D.I.Y. (f6B) and Shock Horror Slab (f6C) too, lovely problems, albeit at the more exciting end of the height scale

Well considering it's posted in the bouldering forum, and there's lots of bouldering at Stanage and no sport climbing...

I thought the reaction was needlessly snidey and stupid, but it was moved to the bouldering forum from somewhere else, presumably rocktalk.

Chip Shop Brawl

Paul Phillips - UKC and UKH - on 11:16 Thu

I didn't think I was being snidey, I'll give you stupid.

Yes, it was originally posted in Rocktalk.

To actually answer your question, for problems up to 7a:

Crescent Arête (f5+) - A very pure highball grit arete. It does have one extra hold on the left side, so do it on the right too (6b+). You only need to look at it to see it's a truly perfect boulder problem.

Daydreamer (E2 6b) -Highball slab to the left of the Plantation. This one has technically interesting climbing and is quite committing. The landing isn't awful, but try not to bounce. You won't fall off from high up, or if you do - well, don't. A full-bodied gritstone experience on a beautiful bit of crag away from the crowds,

Not to be Taken Away (f6C) - No explanation needed. If you've ever seen a guidebook to Stanage then you'll be familiar with this classic highball. The hardest move is the start but the crux is carrying on when you're scared shitless.

Glass Hour (f7A) - Highly technical arete. A really cool move to get fully established, and a bit spicy thanks to a reasonably safe but unorthodox landing.

Satin (f7A) - An exquisite, subtle problem rocking onto a hanging slab. Traversing off half way up the crag is the common sense thing to do...but the true finish is only E1 (not a path though!).

This stuff isn't everyone's bag, and there's plenty of opportunity to break your ankles on this lot, but it's all beautiful uniquely-gritstone climbing that engages mind, body and soul.

I like Jon's list although not that taken with Satin.

DIY is good too (highball 6A/B? It's a long time since I did it.)

To throw one in at the harder end of your range and drag you away from the plantation, have a look at A Case of Mistaken Identity (f7B). Its really good climbing and a really obvious line (even from the road). Some people would consider the lowball nature to be detrimental.

Edit: and obviously you should do Green Traverse, matching the rail, no heels.

Thanks for the heads up, so a no heels eliminate...this is a thing?

I hear twister is a 'dirty eliminate' problem so I'm suprised that you put that in there. So still worth trying in your opinion.

Thanks for tolerating and clarifying my obviously very offensive mistakes. Hilarious how half of the UKC forum come out to just attack you at every small mistake with very little to contribute.

So, I'm gathering high friction, high abrasion, body tension/balancy. Excellent, thanks.

Yes

Hey mate classics in my mind:

Steep Traverse 6c - doesn't look amazing but climbs really well.

Green Traverse -7a that requires lots of power and possibly a campus move to finish. Devours skin though!

Zippy's traverse 7b- tricky beta! Lots of heel hooking but real fun problem.

Deliverance 7b+  try it if you've got loads of mats. Iconic problem.

There is a 6a with a pocket next to the Glass Hour 7a which I really enjoyed as well. Glass hour seemed to have a weird scary slanted landing so I didn't even try it but I am rubbish at aretes.

There is really a ton to have a go at and the rock quality is mind boggling. Have fun!

Thanks for pointing out Bullworker. I've never tried it before and had a go on it this weekend. Great problem.