UKC

Mis-graded climb in the pass?

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 trekkie 23 Sep 2012
Has anyone climbed Bole in the pass recently? It is given well-protected one star VS 4c in the new guide book but we found it deeply vegetated, wet, hard to protect and harder than 4c plus exposed and really out there! The final pitch on the original finish is particularly not 4b with its overhanging final moves...
 deacondeacon 23 Sep 2012
In reply to trekkie: I don't know the route but a guidebook doesn't know how vegetated or wet a route is.
OP trekkie 23 Sep 2012
In reply to deacondeacon: A one star route might be expected to have had some traffic and therefore be not quite so vegetated plus the open corner pitch attracts water in a well-established garden of babylon which has definitely been there since the guidebook was written...
In reply to trekkie:
Why do we always expect our routes to be squeaky clean? We have had a slightly damper than average year so veg has grown better than usual and water has stayed in places where it usually does not. Have done Bole Way several times over the years, some good bits, some veg, no problem. Chuck in some water on the smooth Wastad rock and it is a different story and you are always in for a thrilling time, then the OK protection seems distant and the climbing very insecure. Once rattled it is hard to get recomposed! Climbing is an adventure, sometimes more so than we might like, I can suggest several Craig Cowarch routes if you would like to repeat this type of experience.
 GrahamD 24 Sep 2012
In reply to trekkie:

Sounds like a proper VS mountain experience ! I blame gritstone for leading people to expect pristine clean rock all the time. VS should be a 'real' climbing grade with all that entails in terms of judgement and skill.
 caradoc 24 Sep 2012
In reply to trekkie: I agree with the comments on the final pitch, we ended up on something about HVS 5a, quite serious. If you want another shock horror bit of neglected trad climbing in The Pass try Babel.
mistermingrel 24 Sep 2012
In reply to caradoc:

Babel, magic, was even better when it was VS!
 Offwidth 25 Sep 2012
In reply to GrahamD:

"I blame gritstone for leading people to expect pristine clean rock all the time." What on earth are you talking about... at least half of gritstone routes need traffic to stay clean and a good proprotion of these don't get enough.
In reply to mistermingrel:
> (In reply to caradoc)
>
> Babel, magic, was even better when it was VS!

Yes, good, but didn't seem any harder than VS. Not as good as the superb Karwendal Wall nearby.

 Goucho 25 Sep 2012
In reply to trekkie: As far as I can remember, it's always been an overgrown vegetated crappy route - can't understand why it gets 1 star - complete waist of decent climbing time if you ask me.
In reply to Goucho:

Paul Williams didn't give it any stars. Another on the Wastad that the didn't give any stars to was The Cornix (HVS), which I remember as being very good and worth at least one star.

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