In reply to C Witter:
Coincidentally I was there on Tuesday. I thought my partner would waltz up Scoop Face, as it's the top 50 route on the crag and it was Tony's first visit. He is a very strong climber and accomplished boulderer and was just back from a week in Font, but we didn't have a mat with us. We both had a look at the start of SF, and of the Direct Start, but neither of us fancied try either particularly without a mat. The holds are just so smooth and polished!
The obvious bigger hold on the original route was out of reach for me at a smidge under 5'10" - how tall do you need to be to reach up from the big 'starting foot ledge'?!
Did you do it?