UKC

this is a list of the lakes extremes that i would ike to do this summer. can you put (only the ones you have done) in order of difficulty, if you consider them similar put then next to each other.

Black Iclicle - Shepards E1 5b
The Blugeon - Shepards E1 5b
The Philistine - High Crag E1 5b
North Crag Eliminate - Castle Rock - E1 4c 5a 5b
Walk under ladders - Sandbed Gill - E1 5b
Man of straw - Whitegill - E1 5b
Gimmer String E1 5b
Totalitarian - Raven Crag E1 5b
Raindrop - Black crag - E1 5b
The Go Betwen - Quayfoot Buttress E2 5c
Aspia - Sergant Crag Slabs E2 5c
Astra - Pavery Ark E2 5c
Redex - Raven Crag Threshwaite Cove E2 5b 5c
Equus - Gimmer - E2 5c
Saxon - Scafell - E2 5c
Prana - Black Crag - E2 5c
Snickersnack - Gable Crag - E3 5c

Thanks

In reply to The Great Pretender:

As it happens - I've done them all but some were a long time ago!

Gimmer String
The Philistine
Raindrop
North Crag Eliminate
Bludgeon
Walk under Ladders
Man of Straw
Black Icicle
Totalitarian
The Go-between
Astra
Asphasia
Equus - Saxon
Redex
Prana (actually E3)
Snickersnack

boB

In reply to Bob:

I would put Bludgeon as easiest, found top pitch of Gimmer String hard, but it was my pitch to lead and Tut pleaded to let him have it so I probably relaxed too much on it.

Is Astra that much harder than NCE, I found that move up the groove to the gangway hardish each time I did it, either leading or following. Failed to lead it first time in spite of having followed it two years earlier.

In reply to Bob: isn't totalitaran nails for E1 though? and isn't it quite difficult to protect too?

people who i have talked too thought that snickersnack was solid E2 5c (or as the bloke sadi 6a+ if it had bolts and the gear is a as good as bolts), and saxon was only E2 if you could lead E3!?

In reply to The Great Pretender:

No, and No.

Very good route, one to seize when conditions are good.

Here's my opinion....

Gimmer String E1 Great position and steady well protected climbing.

Walk Under Ladders E1 Pleasant climbing

Man of Straw E1 Quite thin and sustained but well protected

Black Icicle E1 Short and good gear

North Crag Eliminate E1 Well protected but with quite a tricky sting in the tail

Bludgeon E1 Very steep and safe. Pumpy.

Totalitarian E1 Has a 'big' feel about it - technical top pitch

Astra E2 A bit run out but steady climbing and a bit of a blind crux

Aphasia E2 No hard moves but very sustained and calf-pumpy

Go Between E2 As a bit of a shorty I find this quite hard - gear placements a bit worn

Equus E2 Sustained with adequate but not easily won protection

Prana E3 Fingery with air-time potential!

Have yet to tick Snickersnack, Saxon, Redex, Raindrop and Philistine.

In reply to The Great Pretender:
Agree with all the comments made so far. Would place Philistine/N.Crag eliminate at low E1, Man of Straw/Totalitarian high E1, Astra low E2,Eqqus High E2, Prana mid E3. Having climbed 3/4 of the routes listed (some more than once) would just add that all were enjoyable experiences.

In reply to NickJH: Yep - lots of good routes. Must say I've always thought Man of Straw was real bottom end E1 though, and maybe even easier than Gimmer String.

In reply to andy: yea thats what i've heard, lots of peoples first E1!.

In reply to The Great Pretender:
Forget the lakes dude, come to north wales for the summer with me and will sim(wil)! Tick of all of the equivalent grades and harder and get some nails headpoints done!

In reply to The Great Pretender:

MOS was my first E1, it's well protected where it counts but I think that it isn't the easiest out of your list, it just happens to be on an accessible crag and is single pitch.

boB

In reply to boothy: gonna go to wales, left wall and dream are drawing me, but why would i want to head ponit. onsites are soo much better.

In reply to The Great Pretender:

Full marks that man.

In reply to The Great Pretender: I never said that headpoints were better, but once you've been out doing cool on sites all day in the lower extremes, whats wrong with finishing off the day with some hard E6/7/8 headpoints up at the Headstones in Cwm Glas Bach or something? The large majority of routes(especially in Wales) at E7 and above are done as headpoints so it would be fun to tick some routes off like that in the evenings along with on-siting all the cromlech classics, dinas mot lines, Grochan test pieces, and cloggy multi pitch wonders! Not too mention the Gogarth delights! On-siting is far more superior but headpointing is good for harder routes that you are very unlikely to on site but allow you to lead routes that you can do the moves of after practice and you can get on some cool routes on the sharp end! Peace Out! Ed

In reply to The Great Pretender:

Not done that many of your list but would comment as follows:

Black Icicle - soft at E1. Quite a hard opening sequence but well protected and it's all over quite fast.

Raindrop - quite hard at E1.

Aphasia - probably easy'ish at E2 as only 5b and quite well protected if you are ok with fiddly gear. But the most sustained 45m of technical climbing I've done.

You weren't asking for soft touches at all but I'd recommend Failed Romantic E1 5b at Castle Rock. V nice route and quite soft at E1 probably - or at least not high in the grade. Also Ardus E1 at Shepherds is v good but bold on the early steep wall. Perhaps you have done these already but they should be on you list if not.

In reply to The Great Pretender: shit man, we have exactly the same routes in mind for the summer we have to pair up!! P.S ignore boothy's pro-headpointing madness, he's still on a high from headpointing E7!!! onsighting is the way! lol

In reply to will:

hey, thanks for posting; am no longer the last person to post on a thread (again). I start to see tumbleweed each time I post on a thread nowadays...