UKC

The Nose sits on many a climber's tick list, but how many of us will really get around to it? Would we even enjoy it if we did?

In an effort to answer that question for myself I'd like to make a list of local and not-so-local routes that best reflect what it would be like to climb the Nose, at least in style and difficulty if not length. Jamfests, then, of an appropriate difficulty, presumably. (I say appropriate difficulty rather than appropriate grade, given the tendency of the latter to be lost in translation). We can leave aiding for another discussion.

Grit, Cornwall, Wales, Scotland, Alps... fire away.

In reply to Stone Muppet:

Orco.

In reply to Stone Muppet:

Val di Mello. Massive granite walls, glacier polished slabs with sweet FA for gear, 800m big walls, 1000m alpine rock walls, bouldering on the valley floor plus trad and sport climbing. But with the added benefit that the pizza isn't that fat minging gop americans try to pass off as it's namesake, infinitely smaller crowds, far less money to get there... what's not to like. Or as Jim says, Orco.

In reply to beardy mike:

As it happens I've been in mello. Found the slabs but not any crack climbs.

Uk options? 

In reply to Stone Muppet:

Insanity (E2 5c)

In reply to Stone Muppet:

https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php?topic=24442.0

But otherwise - Orco, Fairhead, grit linkups, maybe some of the Chamonix granite...?

In reply to Stone Muppet:

Kundalini, Luna Nascante, Oceano Irrazionale, amongst others. I mean there's even some on Sasso Remmeno. But Orco is probably better for cracks. What about Cadarese? Never been but it's famous for the crack...

In reply to beardy mike:

I can only remember one crack on Kundalini but loads of chickenheads

In reply to Tom Valentine:

There's the 45m hand jam, then the 20m offwidth, then the roof crack which you traverse...

http://stilealpino.it/2011/05/val-di-mello-il-risveglio-di-kundalini/

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_RFkFLMX27xg/S_FedAvpIMI/AAAAAAAAAmM/tqy4tFdF91U/s...

http://www.scuolaguidodellatorre.it/img/relazioni/59_288.jpg

https://sp-images.summitpost.org/817572.JPG?auto=format&fit=max&h=1...

In reply to beardy mike:

Thanks for the photos- great memories.

Anything in Cornwall?

In reply to Stone Muppet:

Admittedly it's more Indian Creekesque than Yosemitesque since it's sandstone and mostly cragging but Annot has all the crack sizes you may need, from fingers to OW. There's a handful of four- to six-pitch routes. And it's an hour from the Verdon which also a handful of long crack lines (Ula, L'estamporanée, etc.).

In reply to Stone Muppet:Kvaloya.  Bits of Lofoten - both those should see you right.  I'd add Uskedalen, but I don't think it's steep enough

In reply to Stone Muppet:

Bavella on Corsica?

In reply to Stone Muppet:

Can't think of anything remotely close !

In reply to GrahamD:

They don't even sell cream teas and pasties in Yosemite!

In reply to Stone Muppet:

The best known classic mid grade multi pitch routes, e.g. Kundalini,  Luna Nascente, Oceano Irrationale, all have a lot a of crack climbing. Did you avoid them?

In reply to harold walmsley:

Hard to go off route on Luna Nascente but I would never refer to the magnificent shallow grooves which constitute the best part of the route as "cracks", even though you place pro in fissures in the back. To bring it down to earth, I would never refer to Long Tall Sally on Burbage as a crack climb, whereas Amazon Crack......

In reply to Stone Muppet:

The crack climbing in the Envers des Aiguilles area should suit.

In reply to Stone Muppet:

Twll Mawr

In reply to Tom Valentine:

Not only pro in fissures but laybacking most of the way!

In reply to Stone Muppet: 

Fairhead is probably the place I've been too that requires the similar jamming/long crack pitch skills that are essential for Yosemite, but I've not been to the Italian venues mentioned here. 

Tbh, however, I don't think it's jamming that is so alien to us. Yes, the Valley cracks are super sustained and can be pretty awkward, but as long as it's a regular size it's quite approachable. However it's the wide stuff including the chimneys that are really desperate. I would honestly say that climbing some 5.7/5.8 chimneys on NE Buttress of Higher Cathedreal was harder than climbing 5.10s... which means my chimney technique is poor. I've never seen any climbing like this outside the States - tho I'm happy to be proved wrong!