UKC

Just seen a post on Facebook stating the flake on the second pitch has gone!

Another good climb bites the dust.

My memory is very hazy - it’s all so long ago, but how does that relate to Merlin Direct (which I think may be round to the right)? I say this because I remember Merlin Direct being absolutely superb, a quite exceptionally good pitch. Is it unscathed?

I think Merlin direct goes up that section and then steps left at the top of where the rockfall seems to be. Has anyone got any more info about how this affects the route? Those blocks always did seem quite unstable... When I've done it I think I climbed the corner about half way and then moved right onto the little arete to avoid the scary blocks.

Unfortunately it was only a matter of time. The more I've climbed at Tremadog, the more scared of the place I am. Lots of very large blocks held in with mud and friction. The belay flakes that most people use(d) on this route are not great either.

Just take a look at the block roofs on Barbarian as another example of a route that won't last forever.

Glad no one was on the route when it went.

It was my second trad lead under the watchful eye of Neil Johnson. Good memories.

Looking at the pictures and at the guidebook again it seems that you could still access the direct finish by coming in from the right using the finish of the ordinary route.

Although it’s brown now, it looks like quite a clean break, and that groove (which looks very hard) may be climbable again in a year or two … possibly making an even better route … ??

You used to be able to move right from pretty much where the climber in the picture is and then back left above where the flake was... It may well still be climbable at a similar grade, depending on whether there's holds in the groove, and the crux on the headwall doesn't look to have been affected at all. Have you been up there to take a look?

The crack of Barbarian has been widening for the last 40 years - I’m amazed it’s still there!

Last ascended by me on a BMC International meet. I had an anorak where the hood was always falling over my eyes and when I got over the overhang on the first pitch, after a mighty struggle, I threw it to the ground in frustration. But that top pitch is immaculate. Sad news indeed!

Or the hanging blocks at the start of Falcon / Vulcan.

theres no shortage of dodgy looking blocks at tremadog! amazed some of them are there, but we're always surprised when they finally go...

The best bit of that pitch is the headwall and that looks Ok. That groove looks like a First Slip or Leg Slip type affair, only it could be harder.

I guess that's because in the context of a geological timescale it's reasonable to think that if a block withstands a few years of human provocation it's probably not going anywhere soon. Or maybe it's not reasonable, but it's certainly how people behave, because some of these blocks are too large to be 'treated with caution' and we don't generally regard climbing Falcon as dicing with death.

So several going within a few years is actually a bit surprising. Makes you wonder if climbers are a factor, or how much of a factor they are, in accelerating the process with blocks of this size.

This appears to be a classic wedge failure not unlike many all over Tremadog. Human interference undoubtedly contributes to instability, as moss or detritus filled cracks are cleaned allowing ingress of water and seriously reducing the coefficient of friction of failed or failing blocks. Cams and nuts to a lesser extent when fallen on also contribute greatly to instability.

Like an idiot I spent a while staring at that pic thinking "It must be well camouflaged... I just can't see it".

Too many people here post bird pics, I'm blaming them for my silliness 😉

Its gone the same way as https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/craig_pant_ifan_tremadog-6/fandang...

I’ve always thought dolerite to be less trustworthy than it looks.

Presumably it hasn't left as much debris as Fandango did!  I was in the cafe the day that happened - the chalky handprints on the new boulders in the scree were quite sobering! 

No hands attached I hope!

Where did the block end up ? When the last big bit got cleared it ploughed a path through the trees 

Instead of merlin the new route if possible should be called phoenix as it has risen from the ashes of merlin.

Since there's only three or four metres of an 80m or so route changed I think renaming it would be a bit cheeky. Has anyone been up to have a look yet?

I believe the part that has gone is part of the ordinary route (which moves right after the now departed flake) so unless new holds are discovered in the newly revealed rock that won't apply

I meant traversing in leftwards from the top, above the rock scar, to access the superb direct finish which still seems intact.

I also suspect that, because the rock is very good (all that’s happened is a huge flake has fallen down) the new scar will provide a good new pitch in a matter of months (?). But I supsect it willl be harder, making a new route of at least E1 (??) straight up from the bottom.

I guess we'll know by next summer. Fingers crossed!

After a bit of friendly local competition.

Merlin Direct Direct (E2 6a)

Merlin Direct and Merlin can both still be climbed but are quite a bit bolder by a similar line to before but up a steel wall instead of the crack. The rock is compact so there is a longish unprotected section. Care needs to be taken building this belay as a fair amount of the rock has shifted around.

The description of the new recent ascent by Tim Neill says "We'll protected"!

It says "well" for the avoidance of doubt.

They are two fairly separate variations. One is the crack pictured (merlin direct direct), the other is Merlin direct/merlin up the wall to the right of the crack (bold HVS) .

Thanks for that clarification Alex, and apologies for my typo which was rather confusing.

There's now a Merlin, Merlin Direct, Merlin Indirect and Merlin Direct Direct - shouldn't be at all confusing 😁

I don't understand the grading here.  The wall to the right of the crack, which has less/no gear, is HVS.  The new crack, which appears to have 6+ runners in the previously-flake section, and is a crack, is E2 6a?

If they got sport grades one (the HVS) is probably 4+, the other is 6b+/c (the E2 and hard for the grade at that).

Interesting that. It's become fairly common to explain how difficult an E7 6b, or E9 6c actually is using sport grades, but for comparing an HVS and an E2? More ammunition, perhaps, for those who think it's about time to consider replacing UK tech grades with sport grades. (Probably a topic best left to another thread though........)

Impressive work by Steve Long and Tim Neill to get it climbed again so quickly.

Martin

HVS 4c has been suggested  - or maybe it could be E1 5a  - and the corack  E2 6a well protected but a lot harder. Still makes sense to me! 

So are we talking HVS 5a?

Side runners in the crack?

The "new" section of climbing on Merlin/Merlin Direct is probably 4c, you get some good gear where the angle changes from slab to wall but not much until you rejoin the pre rockfall climbing. I think Steve managed to get a wire in after this, but Tim and I didn't the day before. I don't think a side runner in the direct direct would be worthwhile, it's a fair distance and some trickier climbing to get there and back.

The new climbing on Merlin Direct Direct is tricky but we'll protected jamming with poor feet. I seconded it the day before it got lead (Tim carefully avoided me getting a lead burn 😂) and thought it was quite difficult, but hard to tell exactly how difficult because it was a bit damp still (I wouldn't have argued with E3 6a, but it might feel quite different on a warm dry day).

Excellent work all round.

e3 grooves at tremadog are hard. is it harder than venom?!

I've not tried it on a good dry day, it's probably a bit easier than venom.