UKC

I'm doing some research and would to have some input from those who have a good historical knowledge of British climbing.

Do you know any classic routes that were first climbed in 1944? These could be anywhere in the British Isles!

Any help would be much appreciated, I have a limited guidebook collection! 

Arrow Route (VD)

Sron na Ciche Skye

Excellent, thanks.

There are probably some RJ Birkett routes in the Lakes from that year. A lot of his are classics.

Not quite sure what counts as a classic but see Brian Kellett's new routes on Ben Nevis, list at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Pinder_Kellett

edited to correct spelling

You will also have to include some routes first climbed at 19.44 pm.

All local climbers know that some of the best climbing in the lakes is crammed into evenings after work.

Not a classic, but recently given a FWA.

http://www.scottishwinter.com/?p=6925

North West Girdle (E1 5b)

Cherry Valley Rib (HVS 5a)

It's probably worth thumbing through a few South West guides and Western Highlands.

Maybe worth researching John Menlove Edwards; he spent part of 1944 in North Wales before moving to live with his sister in Canterbury as his paranoia worsened.

Sou' Wester Slabs on Cir Mhor, Arran,1944 by Townend, Curtis, Hare and Hawkins.

Terrier's Tooth in 1940 and Demo Route in 1943, but there must have been some routes put up by the military at the time, what with 'D' day and all that commando training going on.

The trouble with this modern idea of putting the first ascent info in with the route description is that you can't look this sort of thing up any more. In the Lakes, very few if any classics, but the few routes that were done were either the work of Jim Birkett or Bentley Beetham - nearly everyone else being away getting shot at I imagine. Of these, Birkett's Girdle of Esk Buttress and Beetham's Yan, Tan Tethera etc on Glaciated Slab are probably the best known, though hardly classics.

Jim Birkett 's wife left him in 1944, so he got back into climbing that year (Jim never climbed when he was married). He started with the girdle traverse of Esk Buttress, (VS) and followed this with Serpent route, Frustration, Afterthought, Chimney buttress and Reunion climb (not recorded in the guide). Over on Blind tarn crag he added Cinderella.

Over on Overbeck buttress, a young John Wilkinson added Zig-Zag, not bad for a kid who's still in the FRCC club.

The only other significant activity in the Lakes was from Bentley Beetham, who added a dozen routes to Borrowdale, mainly around Combe gill.

Cheers

Girdle of Esk sounds like fun, and a possible route-finding nightmare. Have you climbed it Phizzers?
 

Unfortunately I haven't. It's one I've had my eye on for ages, but I haven't been to Esk for 15 years.

1944 Route (S)

Some of the older FRCC guides have the dates of first ascents in the back.

Worth researching Sennen in cornwall. loads of routes put up in the 1940s by commando teams. the west country rockfax doesn't have specific years as presumably it wasn't documented until after the war had ended. Perhaps a Sennen local might have more information. 

Gallt Yr Ogof

The Overhangs

Crack and Wall

Airy Corner

Glyder Fach - East Face

Giant’s Steps Buttress

The Chateau 

Two Tower Buttress

CHSR Palmer & JM Bechervaise

August/September 1944

Classic? 

Dinas Mot

Dolerite Dump

JEQ Barford & D Pepper

Garden Groove

JEQ Barford, RMP Hartog & MP Ward

Both June 1944

Classic?

Southern Traverse, Castle Rock

EB Mendus & W Peascod