A very major rockfall has occured, belived to be in the vicinity of the Comes the Dervish area. It's not yet know what the extent of this rockfall is or which routes have been damaged (destroyed even?). Gwynedd Council, who own and manage the site as part of the Padarn Country Park have informed the BMC that they have closed the whole site for the forseeable future and no access is currently allowed to any part or level of the Vivian Quarry for any purpose.
I'll update the info on the BMC RAD when we get further information.
It looks like it is the Arete to the left of Nostromo wall, likely that access to the Dervish slab will prove very tricky/dangerous if the quarry reopens.
Would anyone like to draw some topo style lines onto that photo to illustrate which routes have been affected? I've never climbed in the slate quarries but would like to in the future and am wondering if any of the routes I've heard of have been changed :P
I can't be bothered to draw anything, but it looks to me like Nostromo (E4 6b) is gone and Menopausal Discharge (8a+) is now an arete (and probably also partly missing).
As far as I can see, the next routes right are still present (Young and Easy Under the Apple Boughs (E4 6a) and Colditz (7b+)). I could be wrong about any of that though. I'm not a local expert, I'm just looking at the guide. Obviously lower tiers are going to be damaged as well.
Seems likely the only safe way to access the Dervish slab (without climbing another route) will be abseiling in from the little tower above Gin Palace.
I'm not sure, I've always felt that the arete on Last tango felt like a bit out of keeping with the route, ot the blocks went it might still be climbable at a similar grade. Though it would perhapse need a bolt placing to make up for the lack of protection currently provided by the blocks of it were to be kept at a similar grade.
