UKC Forums - The Chasm

The Chasm

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Captain Solo 14 May 2017

Did The Chasm again on Thursday, always a pleasure after a drought, the driest I've ever seen it.
I took photos of most the pitches and notes with a view to create a definitive route description for the logbooks.
Then I started wondering if this would erode the spirit of adventure which is a prerequisite for this route.
So over to you for a straw poll, click like if you want me to put a description on here or dislike if you think we should leave everyone to find out for themselves.
What I did note was:
I counted 19 individual pitches although some can be strung together.
The pitch at the obvious fork is not the 100ft pitch.
There is no longer a beckoning pool below the Piano pitch.

alan moore 14 May 2017

In reply to Captain Solo:
Keep it a secret.
I remember 25 pitches, although some turned out to be scrambling once you started on them.
Isn't there a long tradition of people discovering the 100ft pitch several hundred feet after they thought they'd already done it? (Alistair Brothwick, Alway a little Further).
Very impressed you did it twice! Promised myself I'd never spend another dry day in a hole...

johncook 14 May 2017

In reply to Captain Solo:

Where is The Chasm?

Pursued by a bear 14 May 2017

In reply to johncook:

A search on the site will find it. If you lack sufficient adventure to find it here, I suspect the route isn't one for you.

Though it might be on Sark...

T.

IanMcC 14 May 2017

In reply to Captain Solo:

I have vivid memories of the (temporary) chockstone pitch at the "converging walls". They are particularly vivid because it rocked through about 180 degrees with me on top of it and my belayer directly below...

Rank_Bajin 15 May 2017

In reply to Captain Solo:

I was hoodwinked into doing this last week and only had a brief guidebook description to go on. It turned into a bit of a mini epic after a lazy afternoon start which culminated in a finish in the dark. What a great route and worth every star but you might as well tear up the guidebook description as it doesn't bear much of a resemblance to it.

I don't think the route would lose any of it's magic if there was a definitive description. It will still be loose, insecure and wet and harder than the grade suggests.

Smelly Fox 15 May 2017

In reply to Captain Solo:

I'd say keep the mystery. The epic potential is all part of its charm... but then a again, putting an accurate description online doesn't mean you have to read it... maybe keep it off the logbooks and put it in a blog or something, linked from a comment.

OP Captain Solo 15 May 2017

In reply to alan moore:
It's actually my 3rd time! Not a glutton for punishment, just give it 2 weeks without rain and it's ok.

OP Captain Solo 15 May 2017

In reply to Smelly Fox:
At the end of the day you can't go wrong route wise, you just follow the main gully. It's usually fairly obvious which side of a chockstone gives the least resistance on the individual pitches. The nagging doubt is what pitch you are actually on and how hard the climbing is to be expected. I think I agree with the votes so far, it's probably more fun going into the unknown.
I've put together a word doc for anyone who doesn't like surprises.

GrahamUney 16 May 2017

In reply to Captain Solo:

A good call putting this on here. As people have said, it's meant to be an adventure, but at the end of the day route-finding is not that hard as you're in the gully. Well done for leaving it for others to find out about on their own!

Cheers. Graham

Graeme Hammond 16 May 2017

In reply to Captain Solo:

I remember being really confused by the lack of a huge chock on the converging walls pitch (see this photo: https://www.ukclimbing.com/images/dbpage.php?id=62986) which must have been there just long enough to be in the description of the guide we had but had since gone. We started really late had a total punter like epic but at least we finished the route. Just about caught up 2 students who congratulated themselves on finishing the route then traversed off left after the converging walls pitch confusing it for the top pitch. At this point i poured all the water away as i was fed up of carrying it as we could just drink from the stream, only for it all to dry up on the upper pitches and us to be gasping for a drink for about 6 hours.