UKC

Hi,

I am trying to compile a list of 50 cracks I can climb in the next 7 weeks as prep for a trip to squamish. I am aware that largely it will be poor preparation for the smooth granite, but hey ho, I like a good challenge.

Any ideas for good cracks upto E4 in the fingers and hands range? My initial stab is below (based on previous similar posts on here and things i've already done), gonna be quite a good few weeks. Obviously grit is going to feature heavily, so extra points for none grit suggestions, especially things at tremadog or the welsh mountains. The lakes too, not got much from there on my list. No fairhead please, been this year, can't afford that bloody ferry again!

Also, they dont have to be pure cracks. Anything with a crux requiring jams is good, like ratline (the only bolted route on my list so far). But no cracks that climb like a face route, left wall for example. Bolted good too, partial to a bit of sport climbing.

Based in Stockport.

Let me know.

Cheers, Si

Fingers.

Regent Street E2 Milstone
Snickersnack E3 Gable Crag
The Asp E3 Stanage
Fingerlicker E4 Tremadog.
Twikker E3 Milstone.
Saville Street E3 Milstone.
Meirionydd E1 Tremadog.
Boadicea E2 Houghton Quarry
SuperCrack E3 Wilton
Boulervarde E3 Laurencefield
Come to the Dervish E3 Vivian Quarry
Calamity Crack E4 Running Hill Pits.
Ratline 7b Harpour Hill
Foil E3 Cromlech
Bob Hope E4 Dovestones
The Toy E1 Curbar


Hands / Fists

The File VS Higgar Tor
Bond Street HVS Milstone
The Grond E2 Dinas Cromlech.
Imposition E1 Ramshaw
Valkery (First pitch) HVS Froggat
The Vice E1 Stanage.
Harvest E4 Stanage
Neb Direct E4 Tremadog
Carls Wall Crack E2 Stoney
Western Front E3 Almscliff
Dexterity E1 Milstone

In reply to snoop6060:

Rather you than me.

Roof Route HVS (Rivelin)
Strapiombo E1 (Froggatt)

In reply to snoop6060:

Billy Whizz
Great Peter

Brimstone
Embankment 3
Embankment 4
Knightsbridge
Great West Road (pitch 1)
Coventry Street (pitch 1)

Ramshaw Crack

The Strand

In reply to snoop6060:

The Crank & Masochism at Ramshaw
All the Embankment routes at Millstone
Herford's Crack on Clogwyn y Tarw
Bird's Nest Crack & Traditional Climb at Almscliff
Some of the classic HVS++s at Hen Cloud?
Razor Crack at Neckband?

In reply to Coel Hellier:

The Strand?

Really?

In reply to snoop6060: wellington crack should be on your list!

In reply to snoop6060:

Spend a day on Hen Cloud and do as many of the classics (any grade) as you can.


Chris

In reply to snoop6060:

Charming Crack Brimham.

In reply to snoop6060:
Katana at Holyhead E4 baggy jamming

In reply to snoop6060:

I would strike Foil, Comes the Dervish and The Asp off for a start - none of these are really fingerjamming cracks.

On the other hand that E4 at Brimham should be a more than adequate substitute, specially if you do three laps. Unfortunately I can't remember its name. Is it True Grit?

jcm

In reply to snoop6060:

Bitter fingers
Fe Fi Fo Fum (and the E1 5c nearby)

at Stoney

In reply to snoop6060:

Tufted Crack at Ilkley (Only HVS 5b when I did it, but more like E1 and definitely 5c)

In reply to snoop6060:

While you are at Millstone Gates of Mordor is a good one - not as straight crack climbing as it appears, but awkward in a very granite style.

Doing something like Great North Road as fast as you can will be good training too.

In reply to snoop6060:

You should probably put in some slab time too

In reply to victim of mathematics:

The strand doesnt really climb like crack I seem to recall, though its been a while. Its bit like left wall.

However, some suggestions at gogarth would be great. I tried achilles a couple of years ago. I recall it being nails!

In reply to Adam Long:

Oh lordy, gates of mordor. What a figgin horror show that is! Shut me down so badly when I got on it. I will add it but I predict tears.

Have been playing on GNR recently and the various lines that use parts of it like detour (suprisingly good route), and that thing up the left arete.

In reply to Coel Hellier:
Ramshaw Crack
Probably the most brutal crack on grit - one for the masochists - i've still got a scar (literally) from that bloody thing

In reply to snoop6060:
Broken crack at froggat is more technically interesting jamming at VS than the file.

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

yeah, agreed, have done foil but havent done the asp or the dervish. In any case, not a slate fan so suits me.

True Grit has been added.

In reply to All:

Keep them coming...remember, looking for none grit options too. Wanna spread it out for interest. And a few easier ones too. May end up in quite a state after trying the list that is forming. Will create a UKC tick list.

In reply to snoop6060:

Well that's the rest of my summer sorted! Just what i've been after.
+1 for The Crank, The File and Regent st.

In reply to snoop6060:

Oh and Baluster Crack at Ravensheugh, again only HVS but worth it.

In reply to snoop6060:


Three pebble slab..........I thought I'd get the usual UKC thread divergence factor in sooner rather than later..it saves pain later on.

In reply to snoop6060:

They say Run Fast Run Free (very bottom end E5) is a nice crack, but I haven't done it. In general I'd say Gogarth is not much use for your purpose - the rock (on, eg, Winking Crack) tends to be too featured and thus allowing cheating non-cracky methods.

jcm

In reply to snoop6060:
Here are a few more I don't think have been mentioned yet:

Saul's Crack, HVS, Roaches.

Sorrell's Sorrow, HVS, Curbar. (Hand/Fist turning into an offwidth higher up.)

Nowanda, HVS, Gardoms. (Slightly flared, baggy hand jamming.)

Tangerine, VS, Gardoms.
(Bit obscure this one - but it has a short section of very pure, steep hand jamming. Doable as a short solo/highball.)

Has anyone suggested anything around the E2/E3 mark at Chatsworth yet?

In reply to snoop6060: what a good idea. When you are finished can you post it here for the rest of us. And if you complete it can you put up a post with you recomemdations. It would make a cool coffee table book or select guide book. 50 cracks and then maybe 3-5 other routes at each venue to warm up on.
Pity you cannot get to fairhead.

In reply to snoop6060:

Overhanging crack - Dovestone Edge
Plenty of stuff at Wimberry - The Trident, Blasphemy, Freddie's Finale etc
Tom Thumb - cratcliffe
Robert - Kinder south
Carls Wark Crack & Medusa - stoney
Synopsis, Great Crack, Big Crack, Chequers crack - Froggatt
Great Crack & Grand Cleft - Wild cat
The Golden Tower - Anglezarke Quarry
Knightsbridge and almost every route at millstone
Undercut Crack - Bamford
Falling Crack - wilton 2
Wipe Out, Central Route - wilton 1 and loads of other stuff
Thin Red Line & Forked Lightning Crack (need to do try this) Heptonstall
Zeus - Burbage south
Foord's Folly and plenty of other stuff at Ramshaw
Ping and Ping pong - Water-cum-Jolly
Pollux - Agden Rocher
The Rat - Ladybower Quarry
Flake Crack - Helsby
Dateline - pex and probably some other stuff
Deadbay Crack, Sorrell's Sorrow, Saddy, Elder Crack, Insanity - curbar
Sentenal crack - chatsworth (need to try this one too)

In reply to snoop6060:

Another vote for Grond. California granite demands good technique on pure, sustained cracks and Grond is one of those.

Definitely a NO vote for Charming Crack unless you want to ruin the back of your hands before you go, or they are already so toughened up that they could do with a severe workout.

In reply to snoop6060: According to another thread you can slip a few fingers into Anna Kournikova, but maybe a bit out of your league...

In reply to snoop6060: Fingerlicker, Cream, Void at Tremadog?

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

Not as I recall, a bit rattly and snappy - and I must have been having an off day, because I thought it was anything but bottom end E5 - in fact it was nails

In reply to snoop6060: anyone said elder crack and insanity at curbar, sentinel and emerald crack at chatsworth , fork lightning crack ?

In reply to Aigen:

Aye, true about fairhead. Tho was there in June and have done stuff like Jolly Rodger, Halloween, salango and GBH. And a ton of the corners. I may just add them to the list and give myself a head start!

In reply to Graeme Hammond:

Thanks Graham, some lesser known gems in there. I have done quite a few too, which makes it ok to fall off them this time around!

In reply to Andy Stephenson:

Cream is debateable, it is a crack, but it doesn't involve crack climbing. Balancey laybacking, and crimping I recall. I do need to return having fallen off the very top a few years ago though!

In reply to Jonny2vests:

Yep, though I expect people will say, downhill racer and that has scared the life out of me ever since I saw it. I am basically too much of a pussy for that sort of business!

Well protected slabs maybe, though we dont actually have many of those here. Maybe you don't over in Squamish? In fact don't answer that, I am going with the mindset that everything is mega safe!

In reply to snoop6060:

TBH, you can have a great time in Squamish and not set foot on a slab.

In reply to All:

So... its on: http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/set.php?id=643

Come and join the fun. I expect there will be blood and plenty of tears. This is the first draft though as there is nothing at hen cloud and I plan to go there this week. May drop the yorkshire contingent and replace with whatever horror shows I find at hen cloud. I've just left yorkshire, im not ready to go back just yet

Good news is Ive already done 24% of em, so I can fall of them without blowing any precious onsight points!

In reply to snoop6060: try the Grader at Wilton,+1 for Finger Licker, not E4 but have a go a London Wall all the same

In reply to snoop6060: I'm well up for this, count me in.

In reply to David Bennett:

Gonna do london wall when I get back. Saving it.

I wanted to do it last year, but didn't really climb any cracks so wasn't in shape.

I will probably add the grader as i want to group things together to give myself a fighting chance. I will be there doing supercrack (again).

In reply to snoop6060:
Boot crack - (HVS) milestone buttress
Dinorwig Unconquerable - slate

In reply to snoop6060:

Ray's Roof E6 6b Baldstones? Go on you know you want to

In reply to snoop6060:

Well I've done 38 on your list. But that took me 25 years, good luck in 7 weeks. I'll buy you something as a token of respect if you can on sight all of those in 7 weeks. I would add Emerald Crack at Chatsworth, because it's class, technical and gnarly. The Mangler at Stanage because it's one of the few genuine offwidths in the UK. Centaur at Stanage because it makes the Vice look reasonable. Quietus is hard to do without decent jamming skills. The Gates of Mordor is also proper jamming.

In reply to Duncan Bourne:

Bit wide for fingers like, Im not that fat!

In reply to Hugh Cottam:

I've already fallen off a few of these, so onsighting them all isn't possible. Ive onsighted a fair few of them already too.

The plan is to get on them. Falling is part of the exercise.

I will add emerarld crack for sure.

In reply to snoop6060: OK, we'll switch to 50 clean ascents then. Have n't been to Squamish. I'd be interested to know how it compares with Yosemite. I'm sure you'll have fun.

In reply to snoop6060: How could I have forgotten Wellington Crack at Ilkley, +1 for Void, fantastic top pitch (after the best of Vector)

In reply to snoop6060: Bolted cracks are a rarity in the uk but there's a couple on Trench Wall at Penmaen Head that I put up a couple of years ago. Insurrection and Riot, both about 6c/6c+ and closely bolted (except above the last clip on Riot which is safe but a little run out). The cracks are obvious enough - you can see them as you wizz along the A55. My mates and I thought they were good steep lines - put your thoughts on the log book if you do them.

In reply to colin struthers:

Thanks Colin. Will check them out, I drive past this wall enough.

Bonus points for a limestone and bolted. The list was getting a bit samey, need to rejig the list anyway as its too spread out to manage these I think.

In reply to snoop6060:

A bit late I know but Terrazza Crack at Stanage End should be there and if you've done all those cracks surely you should be giving London Wall a shot before you head out!

In reply to HenryC:

Cheers, will add, and remove one of the others. Im gonna be up at stanage end anyway doing some of the others, so that works better for me planning wise.

London wall is a present for my return to fend off the post trip blues.

In reply to snoop6060:

Has anyone suggested The Bulger at Bowderstone Crag? Proper fingers and quite brutal, if I recall, but well-protected. Probably at the top end of your requested grade band; not sure if it still gets E4 in the definitive guide, but I note it's E5 in the database.

In reply to snoop6060:

There are some brilliant London Wall training sessions to be had here

Obvious stuff like the Exasperator (10c), Rutabaga (11b), Yorkshire Gripper (11c), Crime of the Century (11c), Sentry Box (12a) etc. Then there's less obvious stuff not in the guide because its next to the (not busy) railway line and out of bounds (called the 'Lower Malamute'), but there's often a crowd down there; Clean Crack (11c), Crescent Crack (10d?); two of the best cracks in Canada.

Then there's a stonking brand new area called the Top Shelf which is MEGA at 10d and up, loads of vertical crack lines which is nice as not that much reaches vertical here, best find in several decades apparently!

http://squamishclimbingsource.com/the-top-shelf/

I digress... nice tick list BTW, I'm only on 30% so plenty to do on my hols with the new baby

In reply to snoop6060:
Thought of some more:
Overhanging crack at Bowden Doors
Mangled Digit at Running Hill Pits.
Ormuzd and the Camel at Gogarth.
Winking Crack.
Ron's Crack 1 & 2 at Crookrise

In reply to Hugh Cottam:

Me too:

The Mau Mau - Rainbow Walls

Kershaws Cracker - Tintwistle Knarr

In reply to Hugh Cottam:

>Winking Crack.

Nah, won't prepare you for granite jamming cracks at all. Too many holds. Nice enough route but not for the OP's purpose.

jcm

In reply to snoop6060:

Not been to squamish but my memory of yosemite granite is being surprised how smooth and frictionless it was, especially the faces either side of the crack, so dont rely too much on gritstone and other grippy stuff! Make sure to spend a good bit of time on slippery slate, and perhaps even some granite? Theres good chunks of it in Cornwall and Scotland, I've heard...

In reply to snoop6060:
Here are some in the south (and one in the far north), all of these venues have many more cracks to offer.
Chair Ladder
Ra HVS
Crack in the Sky
Sennen
Dolphin Cracks HVS
Super Jam E5
Swanage
Lobster HVS
Don's Long Gone F6b+
Chair Ladder
Laceration HVS
Bowden Doors
Overhanging Crack

In reply to Hugh Cottam:

Have added managled digit, as its close to me. The list is nearing completion.

In reply to Dr Toph:

Got any suggestions for the slate?

In reply to scott titt:

Golva at Sennen is really good and is E2 now I think.

In reply to snoop6060:

Some thoughts on Cracks in Northumberland....

At Bowden Overhanging Crack has already been mentioned. But, Slab Crack and Green Crack are both probably as hard.

At Ravensheugh, Baluster, Sandrider and Ravensheugh crack are worthy of note.

The Pearler at Kyloe In along with Thin Hand Special.

Sandy Crack at .....Sandy

Australia Crack at Kyloe Out, very hard but probably doesn't count as it's a layback.

The hardest pure crack in the county is most likley Cowboy Up at Caller.

Steve

In reply to SteveSBlake:

Oops, I omitted Honeymoon Crack at Ravensheugh....

In reply to snoop6060:

If you are going to Stanage End you might also consider:

Nursery Crack - not tried this yet but sounds interesting
the excellent, Surgeon's Saunter, the Wobbler and maybe Valediction as warm ups for the Vice etc.

In reply to snoop6060: Some have been mentioned already:

Herford's Crack, Ogwen - HVS 5a - great hands
Plumbline, Running Hill Pits - VS 4c - easy hands
Sodom, Running Hill Pits - E1 5c - allegedly "thin hands"
Kershaw's Krackers, Tintwistle Knarr - E1 5c (6a?) - desperate thin fingers
Dinorwig Unconquerable, Slate - E3 5c - hands / thin hands
Cracking Up, Gideon - E2 6a - fingers to offwidth!
Rylstone Crack - E1 5b - hands
Gatepost Crack, Dovestone - E1 5b - narrow hands

In reply to SteveSBlake: I cant find Cowboy Up!?, anymore details on this please. Thanks

In reply to petegunn:

Hi Pete,

It's not in any guide, Caller tho is in the NMC Database, there's a photo on Mark Savage's blog. It's a highball, or you could use a rope...

http://marksavagephotography.blogspot.co.uk/2011_05_01_archive.html

It's a flared crack, hand then sort of rattly hand/fist to an 'exciting' finish.

Steve

Steve

In reply to Rob Davies: I forgot to mention, if you're in London, the top-rope crack at the Westway wall (hands / baggy hands) graded F7a for all the skinny wee tots who have not yet learnt jamming - actually about Yorkshire 5b. Doing this several times is possible training for long North American cracks.

The thing you don't get on cracks here in the UK that you get in North America is length - they need real stamina.

I also forgot to mention the venerable Flake Crack at Helsby (VS 4c) - easy but good.

In reply to snoop6060: As you live in Stockport,get to New Mills Torrs,all of 8 miles away,and do Nutshrinker,E3/4,6A,left of the Arete.Belting line and enough gear to be safe.

Mitch

In reply to paul mitchell: And while you are there don't miss Mather Crack E1

In reply to SteveSBlake:

Some good choices - was building up to mentioning sandy crack if no-one else had. In a slightly lower grade I'll throw in Long Layback Crack at Simonside - good practice for err.... laybacking

In reply to paul mitchell:

Not heard of this one, will defo add it as its close.

Got the ball rolling last night with ratline, 49 to go.

In reply to snoop6060:

not sure climbing all super hard short technical cracks are the best advice
just got back from squamish - I found the biggest issue was to keep 5b/5c moves going over a 35-50m length

So my advice would be longer routes in wales, the strand isn't a bad option

Grond is a good shout

2/3 laps on dexterity too

I didn't do any prep on fingers and managed 10b/c fingers ok

definately practise grit slabs as smearing is pretty useful on the granite!

In reply to snoop6060: No one mentioned these -?

The Minstrel - Maeshafn
The Dog - Pot Hole Quarry
Aladdinsane - Trowbarrow

In reply to ashtond6:

>I found the biggest issue was to keep 5b/5c moves going over a 35-50m length

Strongly agree with that. In my experience the standard progression for the UK punter on all NA crack routes is thus:-

First third – I knew the Yanks couldn’t jam – all that taping up, bunch of girls – this is piss, never 5.10 [or whatever grade].

Second third – actually, I see what they mean; it does go on a bit - wonder if that’s a rest up there?

Last third – f*ck, it isn’t, pant, burn, pant, flail, watch me, WATCH ME, HAVE YOU GOT ME??? – slump. After that, it's not usually pretty.

jcm

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:


Corrected that for you.

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

Best/Worst example of this for me was a route called The Mark of Art ** 5.10d on El Cap Base. No moves above 5C but ridiculously sustained.

I think the issue with climbing super smooth glacier worn granite is that you have to place feet very precisely on crystals as there is no actual general rock friction.

In reply to snoop6060: As per Chris Craggs, a day on the trad cracks of Hen Cloud, then polish it off with Mincer, Matinee and Saul's at the Roaches; also fond memories of Winking from 40 years ago, when a MOAC chockstone was the biggest thing around your neck - still have the scars to remind me!

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

hahaha very true, they don't stop coming! I did this myself

also.... really beware of grading! I climbed many 10b/c pure cracks & found some 5.8 just as tough

Led exasperator (10c 50m) one day then a few days later pixie corner (5.8 15m!!!) felt as tough and my fingers were wrecked and bloodied by the top!

In reply to snoop6060:

Now then, this be my kind of thread.

This is no expression of interest (I've eaten the laces from my rock boots and 'lost' my harness) but get thee to:

Shooters Nab - Ricochet Wall and Scot's Wall (get on Sweatyman for a laugh whilst you're there)

Heptonstall - Curving Crack whilst you're there repeating everything!

Rivelin - Altar Crack and Kremlin Crack whilst you're doing aforementioned Roof Route - which you can't do if you can't hand jam

Ilkley - Curving Crack whilst you're in quarry doing Welly and Tufted Cracks and down in Rocky Valley get on Beeline, Somersault and I think Blind Valley might have finger crack on it

Shining Clough - Phoenix Climb, Saucius Digitalis, Naaden, Galileo, Pisa Super Direct, The Big Wall... in fact do you fancy a trip to shining clough?

Dovestones Edge - always wanted to do Hanging Crack, looks ace...

Sandbags / major testers above include Undercut Crack at Bamford, anything at Brimham, Sentinal Crack at Chatsworth but I'm sure that's common knowledge.

Giz a shout when you're getting on London / Right Wall, I'll nip over and get some pics.

Good luck!

In reply to snoop6060:

Another vote for Hen Cloud and in particular Delstree HVS as its fairly sustained hands. You could always miss out the occasional foot holds that appear to the side of the crack to make it more granite-esque.

While you're up doing Grond, jump on The Monster on the upper tier at the Cromlech as the crux relies on finger locks IIRC (?).

Agree with jcm 100% about the unrelenting length of North American cracks. Best training would be running laps on something like dexterity at Millstone, though I can't see how you can restart quickly enough to simulate a single 40m pitch without toproping.

In reply to Siderunner:

Yeah, I think the focus is going to be on mileage to be honest. In any case, I made a good start on these and did about 10 of them, then the weather got really good and the mountains started calling me.

I'd rather just go unfit then spend these sunny days in quarries!

As soon as it cools down, some enduro style challenges at millstone and hen cloud are on the cards.