UKC

I've given Swanage the Orange Spot treatment too. List here:
http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/set.php?id=521
I've gone for 20 Trad (hard to narrow down) 15 Sport (hard to identify many really impressive mid grade Sports lines) and 5 DWS to give a flavour of Swanage's other facet - these are mostly guesswork. Any alternative suggestions welcomed.

(Some discussion of this list has taken place on the Lower Wye thread, see http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?n=529665&v=1 but thought it would be better as a seperate debate)

In reply to The Ivanator:

Its hard to reconcile things like Date with a Frog being on the same list as Behomoth ! BTW I assume that the grades you are giving here are Rockfax ones ?

In reply to GrahamD: I certainly agree, my current thoughts are to rejig the list to 30 Trad, 7 Sport and 3 DWS. Keen to identify which of the Sport lines to eliminate, and what additional Trad lines to include.
On the Sport I'm thinking 2 to 4 from Winspit (Birthday Treat and Stone Mason), plus 1 or 2 each from Dancing Ledge & Hedbury (Moves for the Masses?)and Flail Trail at The Promenade.
Our esteemed BMC president (and Swanage guru) Scott has pointed out that a couple of of the DWS choices are stretching the orange band definition a bit far, so will probably squeeze this section to a taster of 3 (Codfish, Stegasaurus & Troubled Waters).
Keen for ideas for the 10 additional Trad lines HS - HVS. HS seems a little under represented so are Bottomless Buttress, Balcony, Ledgend, The Corner (Slippery Ledge) and One Nut Crack (St. Aldhelms) worthy additions?I thought The Coral Prison an excellent HS, but gets VS on here (and in Rockfax) CC Club rate it as just Severe!
Aubergine, Damson and Buzz Lightyear (a bit E1ish?) look worthy at HVS. The Asp, Batt Crack, ZoZo are others I was looking at for VS.

In reply to The Ivanator:
Definitely include The Corner, just to get more people to go to Slippery Ledge!
Similarly, I'd put something in at Seacombe - Percy the Palm or Suntrap (both HS)?
I'd include Mañana rather than Zo Zo (Or be controversial and have The Spook at HVS).
I thought High Tide and Green Grass was quite good for a VS in a less-frequented part of the Ruckle.

In reply to The Ivanator: Perhaps at two extremes of what you'd class mid grade, but Avernus is class, and also Mars is fantastic.

In reply to The Ivanator:

If you wanted to go for the 'full Swanage experience' you could opt for Traverse of the Gods at VS ? ZoZo is probably not a bad call either.

Lobster (HVS) at Flake Ledge is a bit of a laugh.

In reply to Monkey_Alan: Good to have your thoughts Alan. I'm thinking that the remaining 10 Trad routes should cover a few less frequented, but worthwhile areas. At Seacombe Adder Crack and Knobcrook Road are ones I'd looked at are these better or worse than the HSs you mentioned?
The Spook had crossed my mind, but sure I can find enough good lines without opening that can of (grading) worms!
Provisional ideas for the extra 10 Trad routes:
HS
Bottomless Buttress
Balcony
The Corner (Slippery Ledge)
One Nut Crack (St Aldhelms)
HS/VS
Something from Seacombe sea walls
VS
Batt Crack
Tobacco Road
HVS
Damson
Aubergine
+ 1 more at any of the relevant grades ...Buzz Lightyear, Golden Fleece, B Line, Coral Prison, Grockle's Passage, Black Sunshine, Sweet SA, Ledgend, Strapiombo, Ledgend Direct, The Asp, ZoZo, Manana, Airy Legs, High Tide and Green Grass are a few thoughts...

In reply to David Gainor:

I looked at that this year and bottled out, wasn't in the mood for the thuggery!

In reply to JamButty:

Both great lines I'm sure, but they do fall outside the orange spot zone of HS - HVS.

In reply to The Ivanator:

Can't really say, not done either of them clean! For some reason I've always had a wobbly day when down at the Gallery. I just thought of those as you were short of HS routes.

In reply to Monkey_Alan: ...Percy the Palm is a great name, may be worth inclusion on that basis alone! Mind you then I might end up with John Craven's Willy Warmer and Goddamn Sexual Tyrannosaurus too, and they are polished horror shows.

In reply to The Ivanator: Birthday treat is the only really memorable F5 ive done at swanage, good looking list with the trad choice though

In reply to LukeyG:
Revised list with additional Trad here:
http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/set.php?id=521
Think the list is nearly there, although there are still some choices I'm flexible over, so would welcome any further input.

In reply to LukeyG:

I agree, great little line, hard to believe it got no stars in the 2012 Rockfax, still if that keeps the crowds and polish at bay then it has to be a good thing.

In reply to The Ivanator: Indeed, its so different to all the other sport at swanage in being the rock type seems more like the rock you get in the ruckle etc, nice and rough. Be interesting to see what happens to it over time.

Also any ideas when the new CC guide will be about, couple of the routes on the list arent in rockfax be interesting to check them out see if they were left out for a reason.

In reply to The Ivanator:

No takers for Traverse of the Gods then?

In reply to The Ivanator:

I think it gets french 6b, but the rising traverse at hedbury is a good climb. Not sure what called, jumping the gun I think. Maybe the best amenable grade climb that I have done there or at Dancing ledge.
Low grade sport and quality in the dorset quarries is quite probably polished to not very quality now.

In reply to GrahamD: It is an interesting thought, you done it?

In reply to LukeyG: CC website has 2013 as the publication date now, I am aware much of the work has been done, but the publication date keeps slipping. I think Scott Titt getting elected as the BMC president may have set things back as he is a key player in the guidebook and has rather a lot on his plate now.

In reply to The Ivanator:

A few years back we did it one perfect October day. When we did it there was one peg for aid in place as described in the guide(to keep the standard VS, I think its 5b technical free)and we did the swim out at the end. I seem to remember trying to rig a gratuitous tyrolean at some point as well. Great adventure

In reply to GrahamD:

While certainly an entertaining day out, the climbing isn't that good and there's quite a lot of walking along ledges between the more technical sections.

In reply to GrahamD: T of the G would bring something different to the list, and sounds like the kind of thing I'd enjoy - of course it's inclusion would evict a route already on the list, my inclination would be to drop Batt Crack as there are 3 Guillemot VSs on the list and I think it is the least interesting (although a good line).

In reply to The Ivanator:

So that's quite an odd definition of 'mid grade'. There's no right or wrong, just saying.

In reply to The Ivanator:
For a DWS

Camel Filter
http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.php?i=41564

Is an Experiance and once you get inside the cave pretty fun for team sillyness

In reply to jonny2vests: Lines drawn are always arbitrary, but the Rockfax "Orange Spot" zones are widely known by British Climbers so seemed a natural place to draw them.

In reply to The Ivanator:

I've always thought unseen ripples of the pebble and stone mason are the best orange spot sport routes I've done in the swanage quarries.

As an aside, I've always thought the lakes selective guide had it about right when it said VS-E2 was the grade range in which most climbers operate... It's a shame in some ways the rockfax split that range into two when they defined theirs...

In reply to brices: Hmmm, an interesting suggestion - fair at 6a+? The XS 5c grade on here is slightly off-putting - I don't want completionists having epics on behalf of my list, is it relatively safe?
Certainly looks more memorable than some of the Sports lines, happy to drop one of the Hedbury routes.

In reply to The Ivanator: 5 Sport and 5 DWS has a nice symmetry about it, so looking for one more DWS - Aquamarine in the Deep Water guide at Smokey Hole F5 ** looks good but isn't in the UKC database, perhaps I should add it.

In reply to The Ivanator:
I'd up the sport grades. In my opinion Rambling Moses Weetabix at Dancing Ledge is one of the best sport routes at Swanage. It's F6b+ which most people would class as a mid grade route.
I think all F6's are mid grade and some would go into the 7's. Having said that your list is really interesting and thanks for sharing it.

In reply to I like climbing:

I'd agree about that route. Lovely, and one of the first that popped into my mind when I first saw the list, but if the criteria are Rockfax Orange spot, then it's too hard.

In reply to AJM:

I suspect Rockfax were quite clever with their colour systems - they break down the range that 'most climbers climb in' to easily identifiable bands, so you can look at a topo and instantly see if there are warm up routes, steady routes or routes to push yourself on.

In reply to Monk:

I seemed though to spend a long time where I'd look at a rockfax topo and be looking for orange and red spot routes, finding a crag which seemed to fit, and then having to discount half the red ones as too hard and half the orange ones as easier than I was really wanting.

Agree about rambling Moses by the way, very nice route. Definitely would have thought 6b+ would class as mid grade rather than above mid-grade (upper middle grade? It can't be a high grade without having a very large category of high grade routes!)

In reply to Monk: I have done Rambling Weetabix... and agree it is a better line than most (maybe all) the Sports routes on the list, but rules is rules!

In reply to AJM:

Would be good to have a complementary Red Spot List for Swanage (Elysium, Gypsy, Tudor Rose, Ocean Boulevard, The Conger et al) ...but that's not a job I'd feel qualified to undertake.