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Well would you? Have you, why wouldnt you? Why would you?
Pretty obvious that pushing grades is a wee bit silly but some nice pleasent climbing at night, has it got death written all over it or a great adventure?
James (Curious)
Pretty obvious that pushing grades is a wee bit silly but some nice pleasent climbing at night, has it got death written all over it or a great adventure?
James (Curious)
In reply to Jimbo MSider:
It can be great depending on what you do. I've done the Aonach Eagach, Curved Ridge and a fair bit of hillwalking at night and loved it. There's something great about coming off the hill as the sun is rising and sleeping through the day.
I've also climbed in the dark because of going too slow, but that wasn't fun.
It can be great depending on what you do. I've done the Aonach Eagach, Curved Ridge and a fair bit of hillwalking at night and loved it. There's something great about coming off the hill as the sun is rising and sleeping through the day.
I've also climbed in the dark because of going too slow, but that wasn't fun.
In reply to Jimbo MSider: Well it's generally a given for alpine climbing, and I have a few keen mates who indulge in the Peak in winter after work, using big cycle lamps to go bouldering. But the Aussie guy who works at Outside doing Partian Shot the other week by headtorch takes the biscuit....
In reply to Jimbo MSider:
Depends if you remember your head torch...can be interesting without one. When I say interesting I actually mean exciting...and when I say exciting I actually mean scary.
> Well would you? Have you, why wouldnt you? Why would you?
>
> Pretty obvious that pushing grades is a wee bit silly but some nice pleasent climbing at night, has it got death written all over it or a great adventure?
>
> James (Curious)
>
> Pretty obvious that pushing grades is a wee bit silly but some nice pleasent climbing at night, has it got death written all over it or a great adventure?
>
> James (Curious)
Depends if you remember your head torch...can be interesting without one. When I say interesting I actually mean exciting...and when I say exciting I actually mean scary.
In reply to Jimbo MSider:
Yes and not by choice. My first 'epic' and NO headlamp. The tale can be read with photo; it's in my photo gallery, "Indian Head".
It lacks the finale however: a woman I knew that accompanied us on that trip took pity on me and slept with me that night. We were together 2 years. I hope she's well.
> Well would you? Have you, why wouldnt you? Why would you?
>
> Pretty obvious that pushing grades is a wee bit silly but some nice pleasent climbing at night, has it got death written all over it or a great adventure?
>
> James (Curious)
>
> Pretty obvious that pushing grades is a wee bit silly but some nice pleasent climbing at night, has it got death written all over it or a great adventure?
>
> James (Curious)
Yes and not by choice. My first 'epic' and NO headlamp. The tale can be read with photo; it's in my photo gallery, "Indian Head".
It lacks the finale however: a woman I knew that accompanied us on that trip took pity on me and slept with me that night. We were together 2 years. I hope she's well.
In reply to Jimbo MSider:
Yes
why wouldnt you? Why would you?
Why not
Done at the Roaches - very good fun
> Well would you? Have you,
Yes
why wouldnt you? Why would you?
Why not
Done at the Roaches - very good fun
In reply to Jimbo MSider: Isn't it down to fresh air and good fun. You don't have to push have in the dark. your better of going somewhere you know well so you can rattle off lost of stuff without to much difficaulty. I got myself Grape Nut last night from standing V8 so I went home happy. But I wouldn’t try stuff high if I didn’t know it!
In reply to Jimbo MSider: With a good head torch its the same as climbing in the day. Just less exposure as you cant see the drop ( with a led head torch). Placing gear is a bit slow mind, never worked out why.
As said before my main motive was training for alpine starts and finishes. Which helped alot last summer!
Just drop your grade a notch at frist, and you will be soon climbing your leading grade with a bit of practice.
Ian
As said before my main motive was training for alpine starts and finishes. Which helped alot last summer!
Just drop your grade a notch at frist, and you will be soon climbing your leading grade with a bit of practice.
Ian
In reply to IanJackson: I think it seems more exposed since you can only see the rock for a few meters around you. Gives grit a big route feel!
In reply to Jimbo MSider:
Some years ago (1988 or89) we tottered out of the Cafe de Rochers at Saussois about 11 in the evening to see two headtorches moving along the top traverse on the Grand Rocher, I think it was graded 6c or 7a. Wandered along to see what was what, one headtorch vanished and appeared on the descent and waited for his mate to finish soloing the route.We tried the route roped in daylight, seemed like sustained polished English 6a E3/4 pocket picking with 150 foot of exposure. Never found out who the nocturnal soloists were.
Some years ago (1988 or89) we tottered out of the Cafe de Rochers at Saussois about 11 in the evening to see two headtorches moving along the top traverse on the Grand Rocher, I think it was graded 6c or 7a. Wandered along to see what was what, one headtorch vanished and appeared on the descent and waited for his mate to finish soloing the route.We tried the route roped in daylight, seemed like sustained polished English 6a E3/4 pocket picking with 150 foot of exposure. Never found out who the nocturnal soloists were.
In reply to Jimbo MSider:
Yep. And jolly fine fun it is too. Strangely, it makes your arms work harder as it is a wee bit harder to see your feet - so much for footwork.
Pros - no queueing at Stanage
Cons - it's bloody cold
And I found it best to avoid soloing. I was on a VS that required footwork, and I knew I was going to die. Won't be doing that again for a while!
Go on, grab a headtorch and go play!
Yep. And jolly fine fun it is too. Strangely, it makes your arms work harder as it is a wee bit harder to see your feet - so much for footwork.
Pros - no queueing at Stanage
Cons - it's bloody cold
And I found it best to avoid soloing. I was on a VS that required footwork, and I knew I was going to die. Won't be doing that again for a while!
Go on, grab a headtorch and go play!
In reply to Jimbo MSider:
It's a favourite with the LMC - usually on the Friday night when we get to a hut or campsite:
http://leedsmc.org/fileadmin/gallery/2005_09_Ogwen/2005_09_Ogwen_0012.htm
http://leedsmc.org/fileadmin/gallery/2005_05_13-14_Roaches/2005_05_13-14_Ro...
http://leedsmc.org/fileadmin/gallery/2005_12_NewYear2/2005_12_NewYear2_0081...
Good practice if you ever want to do long Alpine routes too.
It's a favourite with the LMC - usually on the Friday night when we get to a hut or campsite:
http://leedsmc.org/fileadmin/gallery/2005_09_Ogwen/2005_09_Ogwen_0012.htm
http://leedsmc.org/fileadmin/gallery/2005_05_13-14_Roaches/2005_05_13-14_Ro...
http://leedsmc.org/fileadmin/gallery/2005_12_NewYear2/2005_12_NewYear2_0081...
Good practice if you ever want to do long Alpine routes too.
In reply to Jimbo MSider: Climbed the Cracks on the Mot at 1 in the morning after a gooid drinking session at Pizza and Pint evening in the Galt y Glyn. That was a laugh, Ed.
In reply to Jimbo MSider:
It's good. Done some easy stuff at Tremaddog by moonlight and I was going bouldering with a headtorch a fair bit after work this autumn. Would still be going now but the landings have washed out.
jk
It's good. Done some easy stuff at Tremaddog by moonlight and I was going bouldering with a headtorch a fair bit after work this autumn. Would still be going now but the landings have washed out.
jk
In reply to Jimbo MSider: yes do it!
did a tremadog route in the dark - great fun, take supplies with you - then you can wait for sunrise if anything
the reason was possible rain for the weekend (yet it was a clear night when we arrived) so we took advantage of the conds,,,
did a tremadog route in the dark - great fun, take supplies with you - then you can wait for sunrise if anything
the reason was possible rain for the weekend (yet it was a clear night when we arrived) so we took advantage of the conds,,,
In reply to Jimbo MSider:
Bouldering yes, routing no. Have heard that routing is okay but personally wouldn't be inspired to bimble around just because it's dark. Would rather have the simplicity of bouldering hopefully combined with good conditions.
Bouldering yes, routing no. Have heard that routing is okay but personally wouldn't be inspired to bimble around just because it's dark. Would rather have the simplicity of bouldering hopefully combined with good conditions.
In reply to Fiend:
Actually, did a sport route in the dark once, was easier than in the daylight. I think on reflection I probably would dabble in routes for the social / having a laugh side, not the climbing side though.
Actually, did a sport route in the dark once, was easier than in the daylight. I think on reflection I probably would dabble in routes for the social / having a laugh side, not the climbing side though.
In reply to Jimbo MSider:
Did the Devil's Slide on Lundy August last year at 2.00am under moonlight. Great fun. Had nothing to do with the fact that it is a popular route on the island!
Did the Devil's Slide on Lundy August last year at 2.00am under moonlight. Great fun. Had nothing to do with the fact that it is a popular route on the island!
In reply to Jimbo MSider:
For some of my mates in the 70's and 80's, night climbing was a regular way of catching Lakeland Ice in good nick - and good training for the Alps! Cant beat it on a crisp moonlit night!
For some of my mates in the 70's and 80's, night climbing was a regular way of catching Lakeland Ice in good nick - and good training for the Alps! Cant beat it on a crisp moonlit night!
In reply to Simon Pelly: I would like to the devil slide by moon light, very in theme with its name.
In reply to Jimbo MSider: yes i do it often, never know what the problem is with it, i wouldn't do a route at my limits, but as with most things in climbing it comes down to sensible judgement.
In reply to Jimbo MSider: Have found it mostly enjoyable whenever I’ve done it. Gets a bit cold and best to pick a night when it’s clear and with good moonlight, saves on the head torch batteries.
In reply to Jimbo MSider:
Been out once or twice on my own, on Sharp Edge or Helvellyn both in winter.
Last time a beautiful starry sky, Mars visible through the cleft of the right most of the main Helvellyn gullies.
After getting through the gully was lost in oneness with the cosmos on the upper slopes, everything a pattern of ripples in a single continuum
Been out once or twice on my own, on Sharp Edge or Helvellyn both in winter.
Last time a beautiful starry sky, Mars visible through the cleft of the right most of the main Helvellyn gullies.
After getting through the gully was lost in oneness with the cosmos on the upper slopes, everything a pattern of ripples in a single continuum
And then you woke up?
In reply to Jimbo MSider: Sounds like good fun to me.
In reply to KeithW:
Hello person in Leeds, can you go moonlit mixed climbing on Pen-y-ghent this week? Alas, too far away for me down in the Wye Valley...
Hello person in Leeds, can you go moonlit mixed climbing on Pen-y-ghent this week? Alas, too far away for me down in the Wye Valley...
In reply to Jimbo MSider:
Done plenty of climbing in Scotland at night - in Alps you have to start the longer routes during the night at least a few hours before dawn!
Will
Done plenty of climbing in Scotland at night - in Alps you have to start the longer routes during the night at least a few hours before dawn!
Will
In reply to RobScotland: sounds like a plan!
In reply to Jimbo MSider: Did a bit last year at Caley. Chose Caley main crag because it was
a.) Away from main road so don't draw attention to yourself
b.) Very much my local crag with many of the routes soloed in the past, so leading those at night wasn't too bad.
What i found
1.) You find gear placements you never knew existed because of the shadows.. really is enlightening.
2.) Its worth having a BIG torch maybe with a 12v battery for extra power at the bottom just to provide a quick burst of light at those 'moments'.
I recomend night climbing but i haven't done it for over a year for some reason? i guess its probably that i stopped hating the wall and started training.
Matt
a.) Away from main road so don't draw attention to yourself
b.) Very much my local crag with many of the routes soloed in the past, so leading those at night wasn't too bad.
What i found
1.) You find gear placements you never knew existed because of the shadows.. really is enlightening.
2.) Its worth having a BIG torch maybe with a 12v battery for extra power at the bottom just to provide a quick burst of light at those 'moments'.
I recomend night climbing but i haven't done it for over a year for some reason? i guess its probably that i stopped hating the wall and started training.
Matt
In reply to Jimbo MSider:
Was climbing in Cheddar a few months ago, got dark, then realised we still had clips in one route ... so I ended up trying to climb (a relatively hard) route by a very low powered headtorch ...
Was an ... interesting ... experience, and that was sport climbing!
Was climbing in Cheddar a few months ago, got dark, then realised we still had clips in one route ... so I ended up trying to climb (a relatively hard) route by a very low powered headtorch ...
Was an ... interesting ... experience, and that was sport climbing!
In reply to Jimbo MSider:
It's brilliant - soloing Commando Ridge by moonlight, Puppet Crack after the pub in December, choked with snow (headtorch for aid admittedly); Merlin at Tremadog by moonlight; some E2 on the Cowper Stone in pitch blackness at the end of one of those absurd length-of-Stanage challenges; Devil's Slab on Lundy by moonlight after closing time; getting benighted on Gogarth and soloing up by feel and the lighthouse from the bottom of Main Cliff while it snowed - all very happy memories.
jcm
It's brilliant - soloing Commando Ridge by moonlight, Puppet Crack after the pub in December, choked with snow (headtorch for aid admittedly); Merlin at Tremadog by moonlight; some E2 on the Cowper Stone in pitch blackness at the end of one of those absurd length-of-Stanage challenges; Devil's Slab on Lundy by moonlight after closing time; getting benighted on Gogarth and soloing up by feel and the lighthouse from the bottom of Main Cliff while it snowed - all very happy memories.
jcm
We do it loads especially in winter rather thane training in the wall. Last year we did a done of local VDiffs and Severes and even a grade III winter route. Big boots and headtorches all the way!
S
S
In reply to Jimbo MSider: done it and with snow on the ground! at Symonds Yat!!! oh and it was multi pitch in January.
Jess.x
Jess.x
In reply to Jimbo MSider:
A winter's outing with snow on the ground and a full moon takes some beating. It is amazingly clear and you won't need a head torch (altho' you should still pack one in your rucsac in case it clouds over...!)
I've only deliberately set off twice on a winter moonlight outing (as opposed to topping out late due to not getting out of bed early enough).
One of these outings was the Snowdon Horseshoe - which wasn't as good as it might have been, as you don't get the same feeling of exposure on the pinnacles. The other was Lochnagar - we left work early (from Aberdeen) and headed off. It was a good outing, and if we'd waited until the weekend the weather would have broken. As it was, we still got caught in a blizzard near the Ladder and prudently did Meikle Pap instead of the main summit (it's easier to navigate down from).
A winter's outing with snow on the ground and a full moon takes some beating. It is amazingly clear and you won't need a head torch (altho' you should still pack one in your rucsac in case it clouds over...!)
I've only deliberately set off twice on a winter moonlight outing (as opposed to topping out late due to not getting out of bed early enough).
One of these outings was the Snowdon Horseshoe - which wasn't as good as it might have been, as you don't get the same feeling of exposure on the pinnacles. The other was Lochnagar - we left work early (from Aberdeen) and headed off. It was a good outing, and if we'd waited until the weekend the weather would have broken. As it was, we still got caught in a blizzard near the Ladder and prudently did Meikle Pap instead of the main summit (it's easier to navigate down from).
In reply to Jimbo MSider: Only when it's taken longer than I thought. I'm in the Hell Gates club (Suspension Bridge Buttress, Avon Gorge, just sign in at the first belay), there's a Hell Gates Midnight Club that I've always fancied doing, no headtorches allowed, but I thought it was pretty tough in bright sunshine!
In reply to Little Brew: Snoozing Suzie by any chance?
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