UKC

I'm a cocky git who reckons he can handle anything HVS can throw at him and want peoples opinions on some.

So if you could recommend 5 classic bastard-hard HVSs in the peak or in fact anywhere else what would they be? The sort that if you climbed them all without too much trouble, you could claim to be well on the way to be being solid at the grade. Of E4.

If they sound nasty and nails I'll probably throw myself at them over the next year or two

Stig

In reply to Stig:

drainpipe crack(when wet)-cloggy
rivelin roof route
chequers crack-froggatt
the vice-stanage
sorrells sorrow curbar

In reply to Stig:

Roof Route
Chequers Crack
Right Hand Tower
Tower Crack

for starters

In reply to Stig: no problems,

Roof Route at Rivelin,
Kelly's Overhang at Stanage,
The Vice at Stanage,
Teck Crack at the Roaches
Nowanda at Gardoms

In reply to Cragdog al: I thought the vice was E1!

In reply to Cragdog al: You win the prize for first to suggest the Vice. I have a date with it on Tuesday. Now do I tape up or not?

Seconded CC. Good suggestions!

In reply to Stig:

The Mincer @ Roaches.

In reply to sloper: Failed miserably on Kelly's last summer. Rematch due.

Very keen to do R-hand tower. Ditto Terrazza Crack.

In reply to Stig: Surgeon's Saunter at Stanage has a bit of a reputation but I'm only an 'aspiring' HVS leader so not really qualified to comment

In reply to Stig:

classic hvs

1. three pebble slab at froggat
2. fate at high neb
3. the mod crack to the left of high neb buttress
4. microbe at stanage end
5. super direct in wales somewhere but cant remember where

p

In reply to Stig:

Some outside the Peak & non-grit options as well:

Octopussy - Wildcat
Storm - Glen Nevis
Charlie's Crack - Burbage South
The Mincer - Roaches
The Fang - Tremadog

In reply to Stig:

To be the consumate Stanage HVS leader, I think you should be able to do all these:

The Vice - for jamming
Townsend's Variation - for boldness
Tower Chimney - for thrutch
Suzanne/Finale - for bouldering ability
Microbe - for high ball (no mat of course)

In reply to simonp:

Storm - lovely route.

Octo - Cloggy

In reply to Stig: dont really know any bastard hard hvs's but masochism at ramshaw is tricky at the grade.

In reply to Stig: yeah right hand tower is a bit of an arse take a cam 4-5 for the top break cos its pretty big

In reply to sloper:
Has anyone ever done tek crack? I have never seen anyone on it including myself!
I nominate
Poisonous Python, Roaches
The Pugilist, Roaches
Rubberneck (if you have little legs), Roaches

In reply to Stig:


quality hahahahahahaha

In reply to Stig:
I nominate 'Sulky Little Boys' a fine HVS at Slipstones. If you can manage this then you can probably claim to be an HVS leader.

George.

In reply to Stig:

Try Viper (HVS) at Swanage - guidebook says 'appallingly loose and unprotected', unsurprisingly I havent been on it yet so I cant comment.

In reply to sloper:

Letting him off a bit with Nowanda

In reply to Stig:

My fith one is Boomerang at Willersley.

In reply to simonp:
The storm is surely quite a push over for HVS no? I wouldn't have thought it hard in the grade anyways.

A very good route mind.

In reply to Duncan Bourne: hey up dunc,i done it a cpl of times might have soloed it not sure tho.
1 i found tricky-unfinished spyphony at burb south

In reply to GrahamD: Rubbish I'll get him on the firect finish!

In reply to TonyM: <shudder> that is a gauntlet thrown to be sure. Rather spoilt it as I have seconded TV (mate's lead). Another mate was enthusing about Tower Chimney so it can't be that hard, although he likes a good thrutch. Not acquainted with the others but they sound rather worrying.

In reply to Yorkspud: Ou est Storm?

Octo - yes, good one. Forgotten about that.

In reply to Stig:
Now then sir, have you ever tried 'Minions Way' at Brimham?
A hard jamming route that is still HVS unlike a lot of the other suggestions here.
I will quite happily belay you on it, if you like.

In reply to karl walton:

The Vice, Stanage
Dexterity, Millstone(Don't wimp out leftwards)
Long John's Slab, Froggatt(used to be HVS)
Peapod, Curbar
Blue Lights Crack, Wimberry

Can I sell tickets?


-John

roof route at rivlin is easy! i cant belive so many suggest it as hard!
mincer at roaches gets a 2nd vote (or 3rd or whatever)
masocisim at ramshaw anyone?

In reply to Stig: Try 'Fools Gold' on the Golden Tower in Anglezarke: http://www.rockfax.com/databases/results_route.html?id=7248 It's bastard hard.

Andy F

In reply to andy farnell: There's a photo here: http://www.rockfax.com/images/photos.html?id=18321

Andy F

In reply to andy farnell: Agreed, first pitch thrutchy as f**k, second pitch bold as f**k for an HVS climb. Not a good choice if you are pushing into the grade.

On the subject of the lancs quarries, what about Virgins dilemma in Wilton 1 (HVS 5a)? Vastly underated route, bolder than Cameo, and twice as hard. You dont see many people on this one!

In reply to Stig:
Matinee Roaches Lower
Masochism Ramshaw
Browns Crack Ramshaw
Teck Crack Roaches Lower

And there are bound to be plenty more, just look through the guides for anything done by Brown or Whillans, or anyone from the Rock and Ice for that matter.

In reply to Stig: Demon Wall at Almscliff will stop any pretenders.

In reply to Stig: If you get the Yorksire Grit 88 guide, there are two HVS 5c climbs including Double Overhang Direct and another just left of Grey Wall at Earl Crag. Give them a go!


PS They have been regraded E4 6b and E2 6b respecively!

In reply to Jon Dittman:

There is also that stopper HVS 5c at Birchens who's name I forget.

In reply to GrahamD: Yeah - but that is 5c and you couldn't call it E1. It isn't that hard when you know how!! Can't remember myself - was ages ago when I did it!

In reply to Jon Dittman:

Orpheus Wall isn't it?

In reply to MeMeMe:

It is Orpheus wall and I asume the OP was talking about on sights so presumably wouldn't know how to do it.

Not done it myself but I do know some pretty solid leaders failing the on sight.

In reply to andyyyy: Hey Andy! Do you feel like going to Wilton or Anglezarke this week? I can't convince anyone else to climb there...

In reply to karl walton: You know I haven't been to the county they call Yorkshire. So,er, you're on.

In reply to Stig:

Sulky Little Boys @ Slipstones perhaps

In reply to Stig:

If you search, some while ago there was a thread called Ten HVS's you can't do, which should give you some ideas.

Viper was certainly one, but you said the Peak, so

Masochism, Ramshaw. Literally impossible if you can't jam; decent value even if you can.

Pthlegethoa, Stanage. Unprotected 5c moves above boulders.

Finale, Stanage. Font 7a boulder problem. Possibly easier for non-weaklings.

The Almighty - Blackchurch. A life-changing experience guaranteed.

That's only four, but I think they give a good variety. If you want another one - well, any of Rock & Ice cracks will do fine, or the HVS one of those things called Hardly Hyperkeratosis or some such - fairly ordinary grit E2, but still a little tough at HVS.

jcm

In reply to Stig: Was at Wilton 1 and 3 last weekend - tip top!! Some very steep HVS / E1s there!

In reply to Anonymous: About Finale John, do you from the undercuts to the slopers at the base of the arete and then up this? If so I think Font 7a is about right.

However I've been told it actually goes up to the right of the arete, I think we should be told.

In reply to sloper:

Agree, I think there's a description issue here. I've always done it properly - when I say done, what I mean of course is floundered embarrassingly before walking off and leaving it for someone with forearms.

jcm

In reply to Anonymous: Yep, I backed off the last move when I tried it again on saturday.

I did manage to talk a spainard into doing help the young ground up though, not bad for a first day out on grit.

In reply to Stig:
I thought about giving up climbing after a flailing, wailing performance on Valkyrie Direct at the Roaches.

Chequer's Crack at Frogatt is probably the nastiest HVS i can think of though.

Orpheus Wall- don't believe the hype. With some cunning (albeit somewhat radical-feeling at the grade) footwork it's fine.

If you graduate from these and your taste for all things crude, butch, pumpy and udgy is undiminished, then may i recommend to Sir 'Crack of Gloom' at the Roaches? A delight. Still picking off the scabs from that monster.

In reply to PatEase: I'm sorry but I don't think Chequer's Crack is too bad. I must admit I've only seconded it and it was some time ago. Sympathise with you on VD - I had the same experience last year on Matinee.

I presume JB and DW gave Crack of Gloom VS?

To all: many thanks for the suggestions. I'm off to Stanage now to cruise The Vice.

In reply to Stig:

Can't resist observing that CC didn't seem too bad either when I soloed it. Matinee's a good stiff test (fair bit harder than VD). But Masochism is harder.

jcm

In reply to Stig:
I'm mystified as to how CC got so polished. I mean...who...why?
Thank you for your thread. I had never heard of Masochism, but it's now at the top of my list.

In reply to PatEase:

LOL - know what you mean. I think it's something to do with that quarried grit. The other ones along there are a bit slippy too (nothing like as bad mind). Or Shaftesbury Avenue's the same.

jcm

In reply to PatEase:

Me, partially

In reply to Stig: Been a good response to this thread. What is rather surpirsing is that I've not done many of the routes suggested.looks like I'll need to get out climbing!!!!

At a rough count there have been 36 routes suggested. I've only climbed 12 of them. Of them my only failure so far has been on the Peapod at Curbar

However, I did take a good 10 minutes to get the starting move on Minion Way.

A couple of others to consider:
Jeepers Creepers at Stanage (failed to onsight it)
Dead Eye at Birchen (can't touch it!)
Landsick at Gardoms (backed off it (soloing though))

HTH and have fun....

In reply to Mark Stevenson:

Good job you weren't trying to solo Jeepers Creepers. I agree though - sort of harder Roof Route - though I think the upgrading fairy has now done her work with this one. Agree about Peapod too - did it the other day and it was desperate (bit wet, but not much). Definitely harder than Elder Crack.

Landsickness is what sloper meant when he said Nowanda, I imagine.

jcm

In reply to Anonymous: what's the difference between nowanda and landsickness?

In reply to sloper:

One goes left and one goes right.

Landsick was graded easier when we did it but it was the one I could not do. Ernie Marshall earned my respect that day.

In reply to sloper:

They're cracks next to one another: one of them's a bit of a stopper at the grade; the other's OK.

Might have them the wrong way round myself of course but IIRC Landsickness is the harder one.

jcm

In reply to Stig: I have dropped you an email, get in touch if you fancy a trip out. Have you checked out some of the HVS climbs at Egerton Quarry? Cholera is a good struggle, a classic lost in a jungle of despair.

In reply to Anonymous:


Both climbing wise and protection wise.

In reply to Stig:

Terrazza Crack, if noone's mentioned it already.

In reply to Stig:

Suicide Wall at Cratcliffe.

Any other HVS In "Hard Rock".

In reply to sad old git:

Suicide Wall is quite high in the grade, but OK. Peapod is much harder! Rubberneck somewhere between the two.

In reply to CurlyStevo:


That is very much the local consensus.

In reply to ruairi:

That all depends on what grade you're climbing at.

You, one would assume from your post, are absolutely nails and soloing E5's onsight in your bare feet.

In reply to Stig: Fools Gold at Anglezarke in Lancs.

In reply to Jamie B.:


You done it yet JB? The main pitch is steady, steep, only 4C but lots of it. The 5a move on P3 is a one-mover with good gear. So def bottom end but no less brilliant for all that.

In reply to Stig: Dont know if it`s already been mentioned but take a look at 'No Zag' at Burbage South.
Also 'Nathaniel' to the left of No Zag is a bit of a git.

In reply to Stig:
terraza crack

In reply to Stig: Someone's probably mentioned it earlier but...

Minion's Way, Brimham.

Heh heh heh!

In reply to Stig: If it hadn't fallen down a few years back I'd have said 'Deer Bield Crack' on Deer Bield Crag in the lakes, too. One of the most strenuous climbs I've ever done, but also one of the best.

In reply to BrianT:

Not noted for its 'gritness', though !

In reply to Stig:

Some that were missed:

Renrock
Little Things (a recently upgraded VS!)
Don's Crack.

Someone said Roof Route is easy...it is to extreme leaders but not to HVS leaders and quite odd in that respect.

In reply to GrahamD:

No. BUT the crux 4th pitch was very much like a grit pitch, and any lover of polished, technical chimneys, offwidths and strenuous overhanging laybacks above poor gear would have loved it.

In reply to Offwidth:

Never understand this Don's Crack thing - it's trivial compared to quite a few mentioned on here. And I'm certainly not having Little Things at any grade other than VS. Where's Renrock?

jcm

In reply to BrianT:

Missed out on it, I'm afraid !

In reply to Anonymous:

Renrock is at Wharncliffe: its a slab arete and the HVS antidote to Gingerbread.

On Little Things you are too late its now HVS 6a.