UKC

Chimera 7a high rocks third ascent?

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
 vanmansam 01 Aug 2007
Just got word form one of the climbers at my centre that Tony Musselbrook has got the third ascent of Chimera 7a at high rocks today. I have not spoken to Tony today but hopefully i will be able to confirm soon. He is defiantly in great form at the moment and climbing well for the British team. Will try and confirm soon.
i.munro 01 Aug 2007
In reply to sam johnson:

Good effort! Guess that answers my question about it being dry.
 tommyzero 01 Aug 2007
In reply to i.munro: Ian.. fourth ascent tomorrow then?
i.munro 02 Aug 2007
In reply to tommyzero:
> (In reply to i.munro) Ian.. fourth ascent tomorrow then?

Only if local gravity is reducing at the same rate it's drying out.

I'm amazed how little comment this has attracted on here.
Confirmed yet?

ian
 tommyzero 02 Aug 2007
In reply to sam johnson:

I can't wait to get back down to my stomping ground and hope the chimneys will (somewhat) dry out before the end of the sum..... (pause) ...... season (???)

I had a look at Southern Softie the other day. (Johnny Dawes 7a problem/micro route in the annex) It's thin. I can't even stick the first move. Looking at Chimera the last 3rd looks horrendous. If I remember correctly then that move out left and the move after it.....

~~Shudders~~
i.munro 02 Aug 2007
In reply to tommyzero:
> (In reply to sam johnson)
>
> I had a look at Southern Softie the other day.

Could you tell me where that is (idle curiousity only).
I'm too tight to buy the Jingo guide. Thanks.

Ian
 Alex1 02 Aug 2007
In reply to sam johnson:

anyone know what chimera get as a bouldering or route grade?
 catt 02 Aug 2007
In reply to sam johnson:

So I presume this was a headpointed solo ascent? Or is it a highball with mats?
TimS 02 Aug 2007
 tommyzero 02 Aug 2007
In reply to TimS: I am pretty sure I remember the photo in a mag and it was done on TR.

Ian. I don't have the guide on me but it's on the far left nearest The High Rocks pub end. I think it's something like the third route in from the left...

There are two routes on the left part of the cuvre of the rock and then I think the route is on the front facing part of the curve. I could be wrong though. There are some excellent 6as and 5cs in that area also if your into those kind of routes.
i.munro 02 Aug 2007
In reply to tommyzero:

Thanks. Wish they'd get the new guide out!
 Mark Alderson 08 Aug 2007
In reply to sam johnson:
I can confirm this ascent (my photo is linked above) but not that it's the third. I've emailed Robin Mazinke asking what he knows of previous successes but no reply yet.
Also tried registering here
http://www.uk-climbing.co.uk/phpBB22/index.php
but still waiting for approval.
 Graham Ad 08 Aug 2007
In reply to necromancer85:
7a
As far as I know only Dave Turner (1989/90) and James Pearson (2006) have done it.
 seagull 08 Aug 2007
In reply to necromancer85:
> (In reply to sam johnson)
>
> anyone know what chimera get as a bouldering or route grade?

Back in the day we worked out French route grades for some of the bigger harder routes on SS.

Chimera is 8b. A font grade would not make sense as it's a route.

By the way if someone did solo it I would be very impressed. The hard climbing is a long way up.....

Well done Tony by the way. Great effort.
 Jon Read 08 Aug 2007
In reply to Graham Ad:
Sly Old Conner, sorry Si O'Conner had claimed a 2nd ascent, but this is almost certainly bogus.

One of the reasons this has taken so long for a repeat, apart from conditions being improved now with less trees and it being actually pretty hard(!), is that back in the early 1990s my mate M**t G*******r broke off the 'crucial' foothold on the arete at the base of the groove. You can clearly see this in the shot in Dave Jones' book. My mate was found frantically searching in the nettles at the bottom, with a scared, wild look in his eyes...! Unfortunately it must have exploded under his, not inconsiderable, mass...
 seagull 08 Aug 2007
In reply to Jon Read:

Yep. And it was nails with the foothold.

Didn't know good ol Lie O'Conartist had claimed an ascent?! That's pretty amusing.
i.munro 08 Aug 2007
In reply to seagull:
> Back in the day we worked out French route grades for some of the bigger harder routes on SS.
>
> Chimera is 8b.


With respect, I guess that grade(8b) should be taken with some caution as there aren't any seagulls on that first ascent list.

Ian
 seagull 08 Aug 2007
In reply to i.munro:

Ha ha yeah fair play. I was trying it at the same time as Dave Turner when I was 15/16. Although I never got close to linking it. I'd done virtually every hard route on SS at the time and this was head and shoulders above anything else.

Dave spent years trying it on and off and that in itself says how hard it is as he was no slouch.

When I say "we" I am talking about the people who were putting up the hard routes on SS in 89/90. Dave, Gary Wickham, etc. Other High Rocks routes had their grades (French route grades) confirmed by Ben Moon when I spent an afternoon with him there - which was good enough for me.

Found this picture which shows why it might take a while to get a solo ascent. The hard section goes right to the top of the obvious groove after a pumpy section out of the cave and traversing the break.

http://www.southernsandstone.co.uk/sand/hrphotos/DSC00039.JPG
 seagull 08 Aug 2007
In reply to Jon Read:

Jon that's great. So not only was Si trying to lie about doing the route himself he was saying that Dave hadn't done it and slagging Johnny off in the process?!

Ha ha! The man really has no shame.

i.munro 08 Aug 2007
In reply to seagull:

Ah I think I know who you must be now. Hi.
For me the fact that Gary never did it is scary enough.
Last time I saw him he looked fairly comfortable in Bleau on 7b ish ground & that's 20 years later.
 seagull 08 Aug 2007
In reply to i.munro:

Yeah Gary didn't get close either. Scary indeed as he was technically excellent. We were all pretty close on other stuff on SS but Chimera was in a different league.
 Tyler 08 Aug 2007
In reply to seagull:

SS may have its detractors but I have to say that it looks an amazing line.
neil.....34 08 Aug 2007
In reply to sam johnson:


well done to tony, but I dont think you can claim it as an 8a boulder problem on your 8a score card


 seagull 08 Aug 2007
In reply to neil.....34:

No I saw that and thought the same thing.

8a.nu is a load of bollox anyway though. People put all sorts of shite on those scorecards.
 seagull 08 Aug 2007
In reply to Tyler:
> (In reply to seagull)
>
> SS may have its detractors but I have to say that it looks an amazing line.

Most of the detractors will have spent a busy Sunday at Harrisons rather than a Wednesday evening at High Rocks (when it's dry!).

There are some fantastic routes there. And still some great lines to be done if anyone's keen and strong enough.


neil.....34 08 Aug 2007
In reply to seagull:


i know its bollox, but then if you stick stuff like that on it, then all kinds of crazy shittt starts
i.munro 08 Aug 2007
In reply to seagull:

Shhhh!

Ian
 seagull 08 Aug 2007
In reply to neil.....34:

Yeah he should have put it on as a route if he wanted to record it on there really.

However, this still has more legitimacy than putting "Red problem at the foundry - 7c" or "Some eliminate on the man made boulder next to The Vine - 7c+".

These are already on 8a.nu so the crazy sh*t has already begun imvho.

 seagull 08 Aug 2007
In reply to i.munro:
> (In reply to seagull)
>
> Shhhh!
>
> Ian

Sorry Ian! However unless someone down there is climbing 8b+ or harder then the things I'm talking about aren't ever gonna get done. Perhaps Tony will have a go at them?

There's also one old project of mine that I don't think has been done at Eridge Green and that's a little easier...........

neil.....34 08 Aug 2007
In reply to seagull:


we been working a few things at high rocks, personally i dont think the rock is in good enough nick at the mo, I have been there most days the last few weeks, but to wet for the little pockets we pulling on
 seagull 08 Aug 2007
In reply to neil.....34:

Good luck. Keep me posted of any developments!

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
Loading Notifications...